Files from a “birthday book” compiled for the paedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein by co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell have been released publicly for the first time.
This article contains images and language that some readers may find disturbing
The 238-page book, released by the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, appears to show messages from several high-profile acquaintances of Epstein to mark his 50th birthday, which was in 2003.
They appear to include messages from the likes of Donald Trump and the UK ambassador to Washington, Lord Peter Mandelson.
They are among dozens of messages, seemingly from childhood friends, former girlfriends, and people who came to know him after he became a wealthy financier.
The book would have been made three years before allegations of sex abuse by Epstein became public in 2006.
Here’s what the documents show us.
Alleged notes and drawing from Trump
The birthday note signed ‘Donald J. Trump’ – which the president has denied sending – features words inside the drawn outline of a woman.
It begins with a ‘voice over’ which says: “There must be more to life than having everything.”
It then presents a presumably fictitious exchange between ‘Donald’ and ‘Jeffrey’ about having “certain things” in common.
Scroll to see more images released from the ‘birthday book’
The message concludes: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
It ends with a signature similar to Mr Trump’s drawn across the woman’s waist, which some have interpreted to mimic the appearance of pubic hair.
The note was first published in part by The Wall Street Journal in July, prompting Mr Trump to launch legal action and sue the “ass off” Rupert Murdoch, who owns the paper.
He denied writing the letter, calling it “fake” and adding: “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.”
Image: The message that Trump denies writing. Pic: US House Oversight Committee
After the full image was released by the House Oversight Committee, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.
“President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.”
There is also a partially redacted image of Epstein holding an oversized cheque signed “DJTRUMP”.
A handwritten note below the photo reads: “Jeffrey showing early talents with money + women! Sells ‘fully depreciated’ [redacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500.”
Image: Lord Peter Mandelson pictured in Epstein’s ‘birthday book’
The documents include what appears to be a birthday note from UK ambassador Lord Mandelson, who refers to Epstein as “my best pal”.
It begins with him appearing to reminisce about the first time he met Epstein, before alluding to how the financier would often leave one alone with some “interesting friends to entertain”.
It is not clear what was meant by these so-called ‘interesting friends’, but the line is accompanied by an image of two people with their faces obscured or redacted.
The note references Epstein “taking you by surprise… in one of his glorious homes he likes to share with his friends (yum yum)”.
Pictures of Lord Mandelson appear on the pages, which include an image of a tropical island.
Image: A picture of Epstein and Lord Mandelson together in the ‘birthday book’ . Pic: US House Oversight Committee
Image: Another photo included in message alleged to be from Lord Mandelson. Pic: US House Oversight Committee
Previously, a 2019 report by JP Morgan bank suggested Lord Mandelson stayed at Epstein’s New York flat in 2009, while the disgraced financier was serving an 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution.
Sky News asked Lord Mandelson about the story in May this year, to which he responded: “I’m not answering any questions about him. My knowledge of him is something I regret, I wish I’d never met him in the first place.”
Asked why he had an association with Epstein while he was in jail, Lord Mandelson replied: “Why did many people meet him? He was a prolific networker and I wish I’d never met him in the first place.”
Message from Clinton highlights his ‘childlike curiosity’
Included in the birthday book is a message seemingly signed by former president Bill Clinton, which references Epstein’s “childlike curiosity”.
“It’s reassuring isn’t it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing… and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends,” the note reads.
Image: The entry supposedly from Bill Clinton. Pic: US House Oversight Committee
Mr Clinton was among those acquainted with Epstein before the criminal investigation against him in Florida became public two decades ago. He has never been accused of wrongdoing by any of the women who say Epstein abused them.
Mr Clinton previously said, through a spokesperson, that while he travelled on Epstein’s jet, he never visited his homes and had no knowledge of his crimes.
‘I’ve sat on the Queen of England’s throne’
The book’s contents were split into sections separating entries from people with different relationships to Epstein, from family, to “girlfriends”, another section marked “girl-friends”, colleagues and, towards the end of the book, assistants.
One person in the latter category, who did not sign their message, writes about a series of places they have been and things they have done since meeting Epstein.
Image: Entry from one of Epstein’s assistants. Pic: US House Oversight Committee
Included on the list is meeting the likes of Prince Andrew, Mr Clinton and Mr Trump, as well as seeing the private quarters of Buckingham Palace and sitting on the ‘Queen of England’s throne’.
Revealing photos, cryptic drawings and lewd references
In the book’s prologue, Maxwell, Epstein’s lover-turned-friend, tells the 50-year-old she hopes he will “derive as much pleasure looking through it as I did putting it together for you”.
Image: A picture of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 1991 from the book. Pic: US House Oversight Committee
While the book starts with messages from Epstein’s family and photos of him in his younger years, it soon becomes plastered with photos of women – some naked and some in bikinis – many of which have been partially redacted.
Several of the images come from women whose messages are listed in the “assistants” section. One concludes her message by writing, “What else can I say butt…” before including an image of an unidentified man slipping his hand down the back of a woman’s jeans.
There are also numerous images of men in tight bathing suits, many including Epstein.
Image: Some of the photos of Epstein were given captions in the book. Pic: US House Oversight Committee
Many of the messages contain compliments to Epstein regarding both his personality and his career achievements.
One such message comes towards the end of the book from late Bear Stearns CEO Alan “Ace” Greenberg, who writes: “Working with Jeffrey has been a pleasure and watching his meteoric success has given me many vicarious thrills.”
There are also cryptic sketches and edited images included by various contributors.
Image: A sketch included in the book.. Pic: US House Oversight Committee
Image: A cover of Vanity Fair magazine changed to include Jeffrey Epstein’s name. Pic: US House Oversight Committee
One letter, unsigned, calls Epstein “a collector of more than beautiful minds” who appreciates “beauty marks”.
It details how Maxwell went to a Palm Beach Horse Show on a “mission” to make a “compilation of breast photos” for Epstein.
The person writes: “I came to see you some months later [and] you told me to take off my top. With the usual Epstein smile you looked at my breasts and said ‘yeah, I was right.’ Memory served you correctly. The beauty mark was on the right breast.”
The letter also included a photo of a bra.
Image: Partially redacted letter highlights Epstein’s appreciation of ‘beauty marks’. Pic: US House Oversight Committee
A poem says Epstein would “outrage the public decency” on “any occasion”.
It reads: “As far as I can detect, Jeffrey seems to select to express his mood, terms rude, crude and lewd, and politically incorrect.”
It concludes with the line: “Jeffrey at half a century, with credentials plenipotentiary, though up to no good whenever he could, has avoided the penitentiary.”
Another contributor, whose name has been redacted, details how she met Epstein in the summer of 1985.
She shares several memories, including how he asked whether she was a virgin the first time they were left alone, and how they once went shopping together at Bloomingdales, where he “proceeded to throw me down on the floor… and started kissing and tickling me all over”.
Image: Partially redacted images of Epstein with a woman who contributed to his birthday book. Pic: US House Oversight Committee
She included several photos of her and Epstein which have been edited to mask her identity. One, where she is pictured in underwear while looking in a wardrobe, is captioned: “Visiting you down in Palm Beach… can’t get a second of privacy with you and a camera around – ha ha!”
One contributor refers to him as a “brilliant and unpredictable friend”, while another says he can “maybe be a bear, but mostly a teddy bear”.
As well as the birthday book, the documents released include Epstein’s will, his contact books, agreements he signed with prosecutors and his financial transactions and holdings.
This – along with reported perks such as meals sent to her dormitory room, late-night workouts and permission to shower when other inmates are in bed – have led some critics to claim she is receiving “VIP treatment”.
Image: Maxwell is now serving her sentence at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas. AP file pic
Describing conditions at Federal Prison Camp Bryan, Maxwell wrote to a relative: “The food is legions better, the place is clean, the staff polite… I haven’t heard or seen the usual foul language or screaming accompanied by threats levelled by inmates by anyone.
“I have not seen a single fight, drug deal, passed out person or naked inmate running around or several of them congregating in a shower! In other words, I feel like I have dropped through Alice in Wonderland’s looking glass.”
Some of Maxwell’s new inmates have told The Wall Street Journal that they have been threatened with retaliation if they speak about her to the media – with reports suggesting at least one was transferred.
Image: Ghislaine Maxwell
Her lawyer David Oscar Markus told NBC News: “There’s nothing journalistic about publishing a prisoner’s private emails, including ones with her lawyers. That’s tabloid behaviour, not responsible reporting.
“Anyone still interested in that kind of gossip reveals far more about themselves than about Ghislaine. It’s time to get over the fact that she is in a safer facility. We should want that for everyone.”
Meanwhile, Maxwell’s brother Ian said their messages were ” private by their very nature” – and if they were sent to a reporter, “they were stolen and leaked without authorisation”.
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2:03
‘I don’t believe Epstein died by suicide’ – Maxwell
Federal Prison Camp Bryan is located in a residential area, ringed with barbed wire and houses about 635 prisoners – and Maxwell’s arrival over the summer sparked protests.
One demonstrator said back in August: “It’s brought a lot of attention to our town that we haven’t consented for. We don’t want a child sex trafficker here.”
Mr Trump told reporters at the time that he was planning to speak to the Justice Department and “would have to take a look” at whether he would consider clemency.
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1:47
Congress calls Andrew: New repercussions for royals?
Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges back in 2019, but pressure remains on those who had connections to the disgraced financier.
Earlier this week, the US Congress wrote to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – who has now been stripped of his royal titles by the King – requesting an interview about his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein.
US officials have issued an emergency order banning flights of the model of plane involved in a deadly crash in Kentucky last week, pending inspection.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) for McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft after a UPS plane bound for Honolulu crashed on take-off in Louisville on Tuesday evening, killing 14 people. The victims included three pilots.
The FAA said the order, which came following a recommendation by its manufacturer Boeing, was prompted after “an accident where the left-hand engine and pylon detached from the airplane”.
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1:55
Fire and debris after fatal cargo plane crash
A spokesperson for the authority added: “The cause of the detachment is currently under investigation. This condition could result in the loss of continued safe flight and landing.
“The FAA is issuing this AD because the agency has determined the unsafe condition is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design.
“The AD prohibits further flight until the airplane is inspected and all applicable corrective actions are performed.”
The MD-11 was first manufactured by McDonnell Douglas in 1988, until its merger with Boeing in 1997.
Image: A UPS MD11 landing at Philadelphia airport in March 2025. Pic: Wikipedia/Hamproductions
It was once used by commercial airlines, including Finnair and KLM, as a passenger jet, but was retired in 2014, and is now used only as a freight plane.
Government shutdown impacts commercial flights
It came as more than 1,300 commercial flights were cancelled in the US on Saturday because of an FAA order, unrelated to the Kentucky crash, to reduce air traffic amid the ongoing government shutdown.
The deadlock in Washington has resulted in shortages of air traffic control staff, who have not been paid for weeks.
Officials have warned that the number of daily cancellations could rise in the coming days unless the political row is resolved.
Hungary has been given a one-year exemption from US sanctions on using Russian energy, a White House official has said, after its Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with Donald Trump in the White House.
Mr Orban succeeded in convincing the US president to allow Hungary to continue importing Russian oil and gas without being subject to the sanctions Mr Trump‘s administration had placed on Russian fossil fuels.
Hungary has been under heavy pressure from the European Union to end its reliance on Russian energy.
The EU has mostly heavily cut or ceased its imports of Russian oil and gas.
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2:08
Will US sanctions on Russian oil hurt the Kremlin?
Mr Orban, the country’s nationalist leader and a long-time ally of Mr Trump, has described access to Russian energy as a “vital” issue for his landlocked country.
He said he planned to discuss with Mr Trump the “consequences for the Hungarian people” if the sanctions came into effect.
Speaking at a news conference after his talks with Mr Trump, Mr Orban said Hungary had “been granted a complete exemption from sanctions” affecting Russian gas delivered to Hungary from the TurkStream pipeline and oil from the Druzhba pipeline.
“We asked the president to lift the sanctions,” Mr Orban said. “We agreed and the president decided, and he said that the sanctions will not be applied to these two pipelines.”
Mr Trump appeared to be sympathetic to Mr Orban’s pleas.
“We’re looking at it, because it’s very different for him to get the oil and gas from other areas,” he said.
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2:43
Why did Trump sanction Russian oil?
“As you know, they don’t have … the advantage of having sea. It’s a great country, it’s a big country, but they don’t have sea. They don’t have the ports.”
He added: “But many European countries are buying oil and gas from Russia, and they have been for years. And I said, ‘What’s that all about?'”
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0:47
Putin: US sanctions are an ‘unfriendly act’
Orban says ‘miracle can happen’ in Ukraine war
Mr Trump and Mr Orban also discussed the war in Ukraine, with the US president saying: “The basic dispute is they just don’t want to stop yet. And I think they will.”
The president asked Mr Orban if he thought Ukraine could win the war, with the prime minister saying a “miracle can happen”.
Hungary reliant on Russian gas and oil
As part of the discussions, Hungary agreed to buy US liquefied natural gas (LNG), the US state department said, noting contracts were expected to be worth around $600m (£455m).
The two nations also agreed to work together on nuclear energy, including small modular reactors.
Mr Orban also said Hungary will also purchase nuclear fuel from the US-based Westinghouse Electric Company to power its Paks nuclear plant, which has until now relied on Russian-supplied nuclear fuel.
International Monetary Fund figures show Hungary relied on Russia for 74% of its gas and 86% of its oil last year. It warned an EU-wide cutoff of Russian natural gas could result in output losses in Hungary exceeding 4% of its GDP.