Trump Epstein letter and drawing from 'birthday book' released

Portrait of American financier Jeffrey Epstein, left, and Donald Trump as they pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1997. Davidoff Studios Photography | Archive Photos | Getty Images

House Democrats on Monday released a screenshot of what appears to be a letter signed by President Donald Trump, which was included in a collection of notes sent to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. The letter features a cryptic conversation between Trump and Epstein inside an apparently hand-drawn outline of a woman's torso. Trump's signature is located just below the hips of the drawing. The letter is publicly visible for the first time since its existence was first reported by The Wall Street Journal in mid-July. Trump has not only denied writing the letter, but he sued the newspaper for defamation.

Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards

CNBC has requested comment from a spokesman for Trump's legal team. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted that the publication of the drawing "PROVES this entire 'Birthday Card' story is false." "As I have said all along, it's very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it," Leavitt said in an X post. "President Trump's legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation," she added. Taylor Budowich, deputy White House chief of staff, claimed on X that the signature on the letter to Epstein is not Trump's. Budowich shared a series of pictures of documents Trump has recently signed in order to suggest that the 2003 signature was not a match. But a review of Trump's signature over time reveals it has evolved significantly. A New York Times report from 2016 about Trump's letters included several with signatures that much more closely resemble the one on the Epstein letter.