The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that former President Bill Clinton was among several individuals who sent birthday wishes to convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003.
Clinton’s name has surfaced multiple times in connection with Epstein, who died in prison six years ago. Related documents and testimony have been publicly reported, and Clinton was among several high-profile figures named in court filings released last year.
Clinton’s name also appears on flight logs attributed to a private jet owned by Epstein, making several trips between 2002-2003, according to reports, though there have been no reports or evidence of Clinton having any involvement in Epstein’s sex crimes.
“In 2002 and 2003, President Clinton took a total of four trips on Jeffrey Epstein’s airplane: one to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa, which included stops in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation,” Clinton spokesman Angel Urena said in 2019.
Thursday’s report comes as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to face backlash over its handling of the Epstein investigation. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice released a two-page memo concluding Epstein’s 2019 death was a suicide.
The memo sparked outrage among Trump’s MAGA base, as it undercut years of conspiracy theories—promoted by Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Trump officials—alleging Epstein was murdered as part of a broader government cover-up.
According to the Journal, Clinton’s note to Epstein was written in the former president’s “distinctive scrawl.”
“It’s reassuring isn’t it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and [illegible word], and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends,” the letter reportedly said.
In a May 2016 deposition, Johanna Sjoberg—one of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged victims—was questioned about former President Bill Clinton. Sjoberg has stated that she was involved in Epstein’s circle between 2001 and 2006.
“[Epstein] said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls,” Sjoberg testified during the deposition, per Newsweek.
A spokesperson for Clinton declined to comment on the birthday message cited by the Wall Street Journal, instead pointing to a prior statement asserting that the former president had severed ties with Epstein more than a decade before the financier’s 2019 arrest and had no knowledge of his crimes.
Thursday’s report follows a Journal article published last week detailing a separate birthday letter allegedly written by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday. According to the report, the note featured typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, with Trump’s signature placed below the woman’s waist to resemble pubic hair.
“Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the note concluded, according to the Journal.
Trump has vehemently denied writing the note and has said he never makes any drawings when he does write letters. He has also filed a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against the Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch.
The Journal reported that the birthday notes from Trump and Clinton were among a collection of letters compiled by Epstein’s longtime associate and former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. She assembled the messages into a leather-bound album and presented it to Epstein as a gift for his 50th birthday.
Last week, Trump also directed Bondi to release “any and all” grand jury testimony related to the Epstein investigation, aiming to shut down what he called “ridiculous” scrutiny surrounding the Epstein documents.
However, on Wednesday, a federal judge in Florida denied a request to unseal grand jury documents related to the Epstein investigation. The Trump administration is still awaiting rulings on several other requests to release additional grand jury materials, Newsweek added.
