A newly revealed 2003 birthday tribute to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender, has drawn attention to ties between the disgraced figure and high-profile political leaders. According to a Thursday report by The Wall Street Journal, former U.S. President Bill Clinton penned a handwritten message in a commemorative album for Epstein’s 50th birthday, praising his “childlike curiosity” and “drive to make a difference.” The note emerged amid ongoing scrutiny of Epstein’s relationships with influential figures, including current political leaders.
The album, described as a collection of tributes from Epstein’s associates, reportedly included contributions from billionaire Leon Black, fashion designer Vera Wang, and media executive Mort Zuckerman. Clinton’s message read: “It’s reassuring isn’t it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and [illegible word], and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends.” A spokesperson for Clinton declined to address the specifics of the note but emphasized that the former president had severed contact with Epstein “long before” his 2019 arrest on federal sex-trafficking charges.
The report follows a separate Wall Street Journal disclosure last week detailing a letter from former President Donald Trump in the same album, which allegedly included a drawing of a naked woman. Trump has since filed a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper over the claims. Both revelations have intensified bipartisan accusations regarding past associations with Epstein, who died in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial. His death, ruled a suicide by authorities, sparked widespread skepticism, with senior Democrats and Trump allies alike alleging a cover-up by the Department of Justice and FBI. The agencies have denied suppressing Epstein’s client list or mishandling investigations into his death.
Trump has repeatedly asserted that renewed focus on Epstein’s network aims to undermine his political legacy, while Democrats have criticized the handling of the case as emblematic of systemic failures. The controversy underscores lingering questions about accountability for Epstein’s crimes and the extent of his connections to powerful elites. As legal battles and public scrutiny persist, the birthday album’s contents offer a rare, if unsettling, window into the social circles Epstein cultivated before his downfall.
