Democrats in the US House of Representatives made public a birthday letter President Donald Trump allegedly wrote to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein more than 20 years ago, though the White House quickly denied its authenticity.
The letter, the existence of which was reported by the Wall Street Journal in July, appears to have been signed by Mr Trump, but he has denied doing so and has claimed it does not exist.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released the letter after Congress received the 2003 "birthday book" from Epstein's lawyers.
The letter is dated three years before allegations of sex abuse by Epstein became public in 2006.
Republicans who control the Oversight Committee last night released hundreds of pages of documents turned over by Epstein's lawyers, including the full "birthday book," Epstein's will and his 2007 non-prosecution agreement with prosecutors in Florida.
The birthday letter contains text of a purported dialogue between Mr Trump and Epstein in which Mr Trump calls him a "pal" and said, "May every day be another wonderful secret".
The text sits within a crude sketch of the silhouette of a naked woman.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich denounced the release, saying the signature on the letter was not Mr Trump's and alluded to his lawsuit against the Journal's parent company, News Corp.
"Time for News Corp to open that checkbook, it's not his signature. DEFAMATION!" Mr Budowich posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The case of Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019, has caused a political headache for Mr Trump after many of his supporters embraced a slew of conspiracy theories surrounding the convicted sex offender.
Republicans on the House Oversight panel last week released more than 33,000 pages of files related to Epstein in a bid to ward off a bipartisan vote that would have forced further disclosures.
Epstein's victims and some members of Congress remain unsatisfied.
Referring to Mr Trump, House Democrats said on X last night, "What is he hiding? Release the files!"
After long suggesting that the files contain damaging information, Mr Trump reversed course after returning to the White House. He has repeatedly labelled the matter a Democrat-led "hoax".
The book, given to Epstein as a 50th birthday present, is filled with photos of bad haircuts, women and men including Epstein in tight bathing suits and reminiscences from childhood friends, former girlfriends, and people who came to know Epstein after he became wealthy.
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It also includes messages to Epstein purported to be from famous people other than Mr Trump, among them former US president Bill Clinton, Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz and former Bear Stearns CEO Alan Greenberg.
The message allegedly from Mr Clinton applauds Epstein for his "childlike curiosity" and his "drive to make a difference," while Mr Greenberg supposedly wrote, "Working with Jeffrey has been a pleasure and watching his meteoric success has given me many vicarious thrills".
Mr Clinton could not immediately be reached for comment after business hours.
Mr Dershowitz, and a lawyer who represented him in Epstein-related civil litigation, also could not be immediately reached. Mr Greenberg died in 2014.
