Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday doubted the authenticity of a birthday note from President Trump to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein revealed in a “birthday book” for the financier that was provided to Congress.
Asked by a CNN producer in the Capitol on Tuesday if he thought the birthday note was real, Johnson said: “I don’t. They say it’s not.”
Just before that, Johnson on the way out of a press conference was asked if he had seen the drawings, and said he had not.
“I’ve heard about it. But no. And the White House says it’s not true,” Johnson said.
The Epstein estate, which was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee, turned over a trove of documents that included the birthday book on Monday.
It includes a lewd note allegedly from Trump, with the message contained in the outline of a woman’s body and Trump’s purported signature.
Trump and the White House fiercely denied that he wrote or signed such a message when it was first reported by the Wall Street Journal earlier this year.
The president sued the Wall Street Journal for defamation over the story, seeking $10 billion in damages.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the denials of Trump writing, drawing, or signing the message on social media after Congress revealed the “birthday book.”
“It’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it,” Leavitt said. “President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.”