House Democrats Ask Jeffrey Epstein’s Estate For “Birthday Book”

House Representatives Ro Khanna and Robert Garcia, both Democrats from California, have requested a copy of the alleged “birthday book” compiled for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003. That album, according to exclusive reporting from The Wall Street Journal, includes a “bawdy” letter from President Donald Trump to his then-friend Epstein.

Trump has denied writing the letter or drawing the picture of an outline of a naked woman that allegedly accompanies the birthday wishes. He’s also suing Rupert Murdoch, his company News Corp, and its CEO Robert Thomson, the Journal’s publisher, Dow Jones & Co., and the two reporters who wrote the article—Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo—for a whopping $10 billion.

The Journal, in another exclusive investigation on July 23, based on interviews with senior administration officials, reported that in May, Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy informed the president at a meeting in the White House that his name was in the Epstein files.

The Murdoch-owned paper’s reporting highlights the Trump administration’s dodgy handling of the Epstein investigation. Handling that has led to pushback even from MAGA members who rarely critique the president. This scrutiny was spurred by a memo filed July 7 from the Department of Justice, stating there was no evidence implicating others in Epstein’s crimes or that he had been murdered. On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced he would send lawmakers home early for August recess to avoid votes on releasing the Epstein files.

Khanna and Garcia’s request doesn’t carry the weight of a congressional subpoena. The representatives sent a letter to Epstein’s estate on Friday, asking that the book be delivered to them by August 10—one day before the House Oversight Committee is scheduled speak with longtime Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who reportedly compiled the birthday album and has been subpoenaed to sit for a deposition. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has spent multiple days in Tallahassee this week conducting interviews with Maxwell.

The pair’s letter referenced the Journal’s reporting and held that the book “is relevant for ongoing congressional oversight” of the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein investigation, as well as the “Trump Administration’s decision to declassify and release only a handful of documents” from the Epstein files “while withholding others from the public.”

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The representative’s request came after Brad Edwards, a lawyer for over 200 of Epstein’s victims, told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell on Wednesday that he had knowledge that the disgraced financier’s estate “is in possession of that book.”

“If somebody simply called Epstein’s executors and said, ‘Give us the book,’ they would probably give you the book,” Edwards said. The executors of Epstein’s estate are his longtime former personal lawyer and former personal accountant, according to The New York Times. In a statement to the Times on Thursday, the Epstein estate said it would comply with all lawful processes.

Khanna told Axios that it would be “very difficult” to obtain the book if the Justice Department were to have it in its possession. “In this case, you literally have a private attorney,” he told Axios. “A private attorney is much more likely to comply. It’s a much easier challenge than going after the administration.”

The Journal reports that other notable people are included in the alleged “birthday book,” which would have been compiled before Epstein was first arrested in 2006, after allegations became public that he was sexually abusing girls. According to documents reviewed by the Journal, former president Bill Clinton, Wall Street billionaire Leon Black, fashion designer Vera Wang, former Victoria’s Secret leader Leslie Wexner, and media owner Mort Zuckerman were among around five dozen people who ended up with letters in the 2003 book.

A spokesman for Clinton declined to comment to the Journal and referred the outlet to a previous statement that the former president had cut off ties more than a decade before Epstein was arrested—again—in 2019 and didn’t know about Epstein’s alleged crimes. Black and Wexner declined, and Wang and Zuckerman didn’t reply to, requests for comment from the Journal.

Khanna, who has been vocally opposing the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein investigation, told Axios that his and Garcia’s request isn’t to “score partisan points.”

“I will make sure, if we get it, that whatever we do in terms of releasing it is what the victims want, what the victims’ attorney wants, and not just trying to score partisan points,” he said, noting, “if the victims don’t want certain things, I am going to guarantee that the victims are the topmost consideration.”

“But,” he continued, “I do believe that they will want some of it released, and once we get it, we can.”