House Oversight Committee Democrats on Monday published a lewd birthday drawing they say bears President Donald Trump’s signature after it was turned over to Congress by the estate of Jeffrey Epstein.
Committee Democrats said the sketch was provided to investigators as part of the broader federal and congressional examinations of Epstein’s conduct and associates. Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee’s Democratic ranking member, said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal that the release contradicts the president’s previous denials about the existence of such a note.
Garcia said, “President Trump called the Epstein investigation a hoax and claimed that his birthday note didn't exist. Now we know that Donald Trump was lying and is doing everything he can to cover up the truth. Enough of the games and lies, release the full files now.” The committee posted the image as part of a packet of materials Democrats say were provided by Epstein’s estate.
Trump and his team have previously disputed or downplayed his connections with Epstein, and the White House did not immediately issue a comment on Monday’s release. The president has in recent months characterized scrutiny of his ties to Epstein as politically motivated; the committee’s release directly challenges his denial that the specific birthday note existed.
Jeffrey Epstein, a financier who pleaded guilty to state sex offenses in Florida before federal sex-trafficking charges were pursued, died in a Manhattan jail in 2019. His estate has been the subject of litigation and has provided documents and evidence to law enforcement and congressional panels investigating alleged sex-trafficking and related matters involving Epstein and his associates.
The image released Monday is one of several items that Democrats say the estate provided to Congress. The release comes amid continuing scrutiny of individuals linked to Epstein and questions from Democrats about whether all relevant records and materials have been shared with investigators.
The Oval Office and Trump campaign have, in past statements, disputed the significance of photographs and social interactions between Trump and Epstein, while critics say such materials are relevant to understanding what the late financier knew about his associates. A widely circulated photo from Feb. 12, 2000, shows Trump, then-Melania Knauss, Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell together at Mar-a-Lago.
The Oversight Committee’s Democratic members said they released the sketch to press for the immediate disclosure of the full set of files provided by Epstein’s estate. Republican members of the committee did not join the release and have not signaled whether they will challenge the public posting.
The disclosure is the latest development linking the president to Epstein-era materials and prompted renewed calls from some Democrats for fuller transparency from both the estate and investigators. The committee said it would continue to review the materials and pursue additional document production as part of its oversight responsibilities.
The matter remains under investigation by multiple authorities, and the Oversight Committee said additional documents and testimony could follow as lawmakers press for answers. The committee did not provide an immediate estimate for when a complete public accounting of the estate’s production would be available.