A forensic analysis is being undertaken on the signature on a letter purportedly given by Donald Trump to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to mark his 50th birthday.

The letter is one of a slew of images, documents and messages released this week by Democrats in the US House of Representatives.

The White House has repeatedly denied Trump wrote the message – which came complete with a drawing of a female body.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday told reporters an analysis of the signature would prove Trump was not the author.

“The President did not write this letter. He did not sign this letter,” she said.

This is what we know about the Epstein birthday book.

What is it?

The birthday book as released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is a dossier of messages and other documents presented to Epstein to mark his 50th birthday in 2003.

It is part of the so-called ‘Epstein Files’ collected in the investigation into the former billionaire and have been the subject of conjecture since his 2019 death in by suicide in his prison cell at the age of 66.

Trump was friends with Epstein before becoming president, but had a falling out with the billionaire financier years before his death.

Opponents and media have speculated that Trump features prominently in the Epstein Files.

The Wall Street Journal published claims of Trump’s birthday message in a story in July, prompting the President to sue the Murdoch-owned newspaper for US$10 billion.

The release of the birthday book has brought renewed attention to an issue that has become a political thorn in the President’s side.

What was released?

The House Oversight Committee last month issued a legal summons for the executors of Epstein’s estate to produce a number of documents, including a birthday book which contains the note purportedly from Trump.

Lawyers for the estate sent documents to the committee and this week the committee released the alleged birthday book, as well as Epstein’s will.

Also released were entries from Epstein’s contact books containing addresses from 1990 to 2019 and a non-prosecution agreement signed by him.

What did Trump allegedly write?

An alleged entry from Trump includes a signed note outlined by a sketch of a woman’s body, complete with the scrawled signature Donald mimicking pubic hair.

The final line reads: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

The picture and message match descriptions contained in the July report by the Wall Street Journal.

The note features what appears to be an imagined conversation between Trump and Epstein, where they agree there is “more to life than having everything” and that they “have certain things in common”.

The letter to Epstein, allegedly signed by Donald Trump. Photo: House Oversight Committee

What are the other entries?

There’s a wide range of content from people from all walks of life – from occupants of the White House to women working as masseuses.

An unidentified woman recalled how she was a 22-year-old restaurant hostess until she met Epstein, after which she travelled the world and met many notable people including royals.

There were also photos of Epstein throughout the years – from his private jet to a random Asian medicine shop, and him embracing women whose faces were redacted.

Others sent him photos, some containing lewd scenes featuring wild animals from a safari including zebras and lions.

The book begins with an introduction by Ghislaine Maxwell – Epstein’s British-born ex-girlfriend who was convicted in 2021 of conspiring with Epstein to traffic girls for sex.

Maxwell wrote that she hoped Epstein got “as much pleasure looking through” the book as she did putting it together.

It also includes a hand-written note from Epstein’s mother, who recalled his childhood as an “excellent” student before praising his “achievements” as an adult.

One of the most striking images in the birthday book is a drawing of Epstein handing young girls balloons and a lollipop, marked as 1983, alongside another drawing marked as 2003 showing him receiving a massage from topless women, one of whom has his initials tattooed on her bottom.

Who else is named?

The book contains entries from 40 people, divided into several categories such as “friends”, “business”, “science” and “Brooklyn”.

Names listed under “family” and “girl friends” were redacted.

The people identified in the book are not accused of any legal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s case.

The document published by the House Committee contained a message which appears to have been written by former US president Bill Clinton, commenting on Epstein’s “childlike curiosity” and a “drive to make a difference”.

Clinton’s office has not commented on the alleged message.

An entry by Lord Peter Mandelson, who is currently Britain’s ambassador to the US, refers to Epstein as “my best pal” and includes several photographs.

Alongside one picture of Mandelson with two women, whose faces are obscured, he writes about meeting Epstein’s interesting “friends”.

An official spokesperson for Mandelson told the BBC that he “has long been clear that he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein”.

There is no message from Prince Andrew, but an entry from an unidentified woman says that thanks to Epstein she had the opportunity to meet the Prince, Clinton and Trump.

The woman says she has “seen the private quarters of Buckingham Palace” and “sat on the Queen of England’s throne”.

Prince Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Is there more to come?

The Trump administration has been fending off growing calls for the Epstein files to be released in their entirety – including from Trump’s MAGA base.

The President was reportedly told in May by his attorney general that his name appeared in files related to the investigations into Epstein.

The pair were friends in the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the Epstein matter.

Trump had said during the 2024 election campaign that he would be open to making more information public.

But he changed that position in July when the Department of Justice and FBI said in a memo that no more material would be released.

Trump said the case was closed and criticised his own supporters who had continued to press him on it.

However, a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Tuesday found the US public continues to harbour suspicions about the Epstein case, with 65 per cent of respondents saying the government is hiding information about his 2019 death in prison, which was ruled a suicide.

Some 72 per cent said the government is hiding information about the accused sex trafficker’s client list. Both figures were up slightly from a similar survey in July.

However, the survey of 1084 adults found a bright spot for Trump – 44 per cent of Republican respondents said they approved of the way he was handling the Epstein matter, up from 35 per cent in July.

But overall, only 17 per cent of the public approved of his handling of the issue.