After a New Round of Epstein Files, Republicans Are Still Crying Hoax

House Speaker Mike Johnson basically said he had no idea what anyone was talking about, and Rep. Tim Burchett went on CNN to suggest Trump's signature had been forged.

By Audra Heinrichs | September 9, 2025 | 3:40pm

Photo: Getty Images Latest Politics

After a New Round of Epstein Files, Republicans Are Still Crying Hoax

On Monday, The New York Times published a bombshell report that laid bare all the ways that JP Morgan allegedly empowered the crimes of deceased pedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein. Over the course of 15 years, the bank reportedly processed more than $1 billion for Epstein. This is despite the fact that he was then a registered sex offender and boasted a whole host of suspicious activity at the bank—namely, setting up accounts for young women and pulling in tens of thousands in cash on a monthly basis, which were flagged at least four times by internal compliance teams. Still, JP Morgan kept Epstein as a “superclient” until 2013. The bank has since denied facilitating Epstein’s crimes, yet issued a $290 million payout to some survivors in 2023.

Also on Monday, the House Oversight Committee made more of the Epstein files public. This round came from a leather-bound book compiled by Epstein’s ex-girlfriend and co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, for his 50th birthday in 2003. Among the most damning details was the apparent confirmation of a letter President Donald Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in July. The letter includes a sketch of a nude woman’s torso, a cryptic birthday message, and was signed by Trump. When it was first published, much of the GOP lost their minds, and Trump himself threatened to sue Rupert Murdoch, the current owner of the publication’s parent company, News Corp, for defamation.

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“A pal is a wonderful thing,” the letter reads.” Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, called the letter: “FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!”

“As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it,” Leavitt wrote on Twitter on Monday. “President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.”

Frankly, the letter isn’t even the most disturbing detail in the latest round of Epstein files. Another note included in Epstein’s 50th birthday book (which also contained notes from Bill Clinton and Alan Dershowitz) features a photo of Epstein holding an oversized, novelty $22,500 check from Trump.

“Jeffrey showing early talents with money + women!” the text on the check reads. “Sells ‘fully depreciated’ [REDACTED] to Donald Trump for $22,500. Even though I handled the deal I didn’t bet any of the money on the girl!” The redacted portion, as NYT noted, appears to be a woman’s name. So, Trump and Epstein were doing Ed McMahon gags about buying and selling women. Even worse: another crude drawing in his birthday book features two disturbing sketches, one has Epstein handing balloons to three little girls with “1983” written beneath it, and the other has him receiving a massage from a group of topless young women with “2003” and “what a great country!” written beneath it. Who drew them is unclear.

“The idea behind this book was simply to gather stories and old photographs to jog your memory about place, people and different events,” Maxwell wrote in the book’s introduction. “Some of the letters will definitely achieve their intended goal—some well…you will have to read them to see for yourself.”

Further, Epstein’s lawyers told the committee that they “are not aware of the existence” of an Epstein client list. Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi indicated its existence earlier this year.

Naturally, Trump loyalists have continued to beat the “hoax” drum. Some House Republicans, like Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), went on CNN to speculate that the signature could be forged. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told reporters that he hadn’t seen the Trump-Epstein birthday note: “I’ve heard about it. But no. And the White House says it’s not true.” House Oversight Committee chair and chief congressional investigator, James Comer, told reporters he took “the president’s word.” Conservative influencers, too, have followed suit. “Does the below from the WSJ look like this actual signature from the President? I don’t think so at all. Fake,” Kirk tweeted.

Thanks to a number of survivors, the latest information is only further evidence of what we’ve already known for years: Trump and Epstein were friends. Good ones. And whether together or apart, they were doing terribly heinous things.

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