Wall Road Journal vindicated on Trump-Epstein birthday message story

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It actually shouldn’t be that large a deal.

Donald Trump was one among many associates solicited to ship messages to Jeffrey Epstein for his fiftieth birthday. There’s a much more cautious one from Invoice Clinton, too.

If the president had merely stated "yeah, I despatched it, we have been joking backwards and forwards, nothing to see right here" – this was in 2003, earlier than the kid predator was charged with sexual abuse – no person would have blinked. The birthday ebook was assembled by his then-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

INSIDE EPSTEIN'S INFAMOUS 'BIRTHDAY BOOK': CLINTON'S NOTE, POOLSIDE CANDIDS AND BIZARRE ANIMAL PICS

As an alternative, he filed a $10 billion lawsuit towards the Wall Road Journal for supposedly publishing inaccuracies in its report on the Trump birthday message.

The Journal has now been vindicated.

Trump flatly denied having despatched a birthday message in any respect. He can’t draw, he would by no means do such a factor, it was inconceivable.

Now it appears much more conceivable.

Because the Journal was the primary to report, there's a pleasant back-and-forth towards the backdrop of a sketch of a unadorned girl’s silhouette. Trump’s signature is within the pubic space, and the paper says it matches different acknowledged "Donald" signatures – alongside along with his use of such phrases as "a beautiful factor."

After President Trump's repeated denial of its existence, the notorious "birthday letter" he reportedly despatched to Jeffrey Epstein has seen the sunshine of day. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg by way of Getty Pictures)

There may be this change:

Donald: Now we have sure issues in frequent, Jeffrey.

Jeffrey: Sure we do, come to consider it.

Donald: Enigmas by no means age, have you ever seen that?

Jeffrey: As a matter of truth, it was clear to me the final time I noticed you.

Donald: A pal is an excellent factor. Pleased Birthday – and should day-after-day be one other fantastic secret.

That’s it, given extra punch by Trump’s denial that he by no means despatched such a factor.

BILL CLINTON LETTER IN EPSTEIN 'BIRTHDAY BOOK' AMONG NEW FILES RELEASED BY HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

In reality, after the publication of the texts and the bare silhouette – which I’m certain you’ve seen because it’s been throughout tv – Trump continues to disclaim that the letter and sketch are his.

They’re certain doing a superb job of transferring on from the Epstein mess, huh?

Reached on his cell yesterday by NBC reporter Garrett Haake, Trump stated: "I don’t touch upon one thing that’s a lifeless difficulty. I gave all feedback to the workers. It’s a lifeless difficulty."

That seems like wishful considering. The one "lifeless" half is Jeffrey Epstein .

White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was fast to defend her boss on the Epstein matter. (Saul Loeb/AFP by way of Getty Pictures)

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt backed up the boss in a posting:

"The newest piece revealed by the Wall Road Journal PROVES this complete ‘Birthday Card’ story is fake. As I've stated all alongside, it’s very clear President Trump didn't draw this image, and he didn't signal it. President Trump’s authorized crew will proceed to aggressively pursue litigation.

"Moreover, the ‘reporter’ @joe_palazzolo who wrote this hatchet job reached out for remark on the EXACT similar minute he revealed his story giving us no time to reply. That is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!" But it surely’s hardly a hoax to Epstein’s victims, who spoke out the opposite day – one voted for Trump – about how being lured into having intercourse whereas younger as 14 ruined their lives.

JEFFREY EPSTEIN SAGA CONTINUES AS CONGRESS RETURNS FROM RECESS

The New York Occasions has a sobering report on different birthday messages to Epstein.

Enterprise capitalist William Elkus recalled Epstein conjuring a lovely girl out of skinny air throughout a go to to a farm city in Iowa, the place it was exhausting to "inform the distinction between the ladies and the hogs." Elkus marveled at Epstein’s having the ability to discover a "spectacular tall blonde" whom he later invited again with him to New York, concluding he had relied on "some lengthy distance escort service."

Elkus instructed the Occasions that it was a joke and that he was referring to Epstein’s "charisma, which was palpable."

An individual named Leslie wrote, "I wished to get you what you need," so "right here it's" – a drawing of breasts. One other author despatched photographs of zebras, and lions, getting it on.

An individual named Nick described an evening in London that left Epstein "howling with laughter." Nick stated an "outdated man smiling sweetly" pulled down a girl’s panties and put his hand on her privates, solely to seek out one other man’s hand already there.

Some ladies, together with assistants and girlfriends – the names are redacted – could have been Epstein’s victims.

One girl wrote: "With you, expensive Jeffrey, I chuckle like a little bit woman and really feel like a girl." There’s a hand-drawn coronary heart, a quick message and a photograph of a girl’s butt in a thong bikini.

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There’s a cartoon of Epstein in a seaside chair getting "what seems to be a nude therapeutic massage from 4 topless ladies." Seems? That’s precisely what it's.

There have been messages from Nathan Myhrvold, former chief expertise officer for Microsoft; retail billionaire Leslie Wexner; billionaire investor Leon Black; Epstein’s onetime legal professional Alan Dershowitz; and Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling scout who died in 2022 by suicide in a French jail cell after being charged with raping teenage ladies.

The Washington Put up has more , saying "consideration to Trump’s relationship with Epstein just isn't going away anytime quickly, and the political complications for the president are more likely to linger."

In a single partially redacted photograph, Epstein is seen holding an outsized verify with DJTRUMP on the signature line. (Getty Pictures)

In {a partially} redacted photograph, Epstein is holding an outsized verify made out to him for $22,500 with DJTRUMP on the signature line. The handwritten caption: "Sells ‘absolutely depreciated’ [redacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500."

Trump allies have determined to make their stand on the signature query, including to the murkiness.

"Is that this actually one of the best they might do?" wrote MAGA influencer Benny Johnson. "Trump has essentially the most well-known signature on this planet. Time to sue them into the oblivion."

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In a drawing, labeled "1983," a male determine is pictured handing balloons to younger ladies in pigtails. That was subsequent to "2003," the place he’s drawn getting massages from topless blonde ladies with the caption "what an amazing nation!"

Look, there’s no different strategy to say it: This has the whiff of a cover-up.

I imply, are folks shopping for the president’s insistence that he by no means despatched the birthday message that they’ve seen with their very own eyes?

Trump boxed himself by insisting, even now, that he’d by no means despatched such a message. That’s the center of the political downside.

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The president could pronounce the story lifeless, however for the remainder of the world – together with MAGA supporters who've been obsessive about this case – it’s very a lot alive.

Howard Kurtz is the host of FOX Information Channel's MediaBuzz (Sundays 11 AM-12PM/ET). Primarily based in Washington, D.C., he joined the community in 2013 and recurrently seems on Particular Report with Bret Baier and The Story with Martha MacCallum amongst different applications.