The House Oversight Committee released hundreds of pages of documents from Jeffrey Epstein‘s estate on Monday, including the infamous 238-page “birthday book” compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for the convicted sex offender’s 50th birthday in 2003. The files were turned over after the committee subpoenaed Epstein’s estate last month as part of its ongoing investigation into the case.
The bizarre scrapbook offers an intimate glimpse into Epstein’s network of powerful friends and associates. Maxwell wrote in the prologue that she wanted to “gather stories and old photographs to jog your memory about places, people and different events” and hoped Epstein would “derive as much pleasure from looking through it” as she did assembling it for him. The book contains photos from Epstein’s childhood, formal school pictures, and images of him with various women throughout his life.
Among the most striking entries is a message from former President Bill Clinton, who praised Epstein’s childlike curiosity and his drive to make a difference along with the “solace of friends.” According to Fox News, the book also features revealing images of Epstein shirtless, embracing women, and a censored photo of him and Maxwell laughing together in a pool. Pictures of mating lions and zebras were also included in the collection.
What makes the birthday book particularly unsettling
The birthday book is divided into sections including family, girlfriends, children, friends, science, and business. Names in the “girlfriends” section are all redacted, while the “friends” section includes notable figures like Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Alan Dershowitz. The book contains sexually explicit letters and images that juxtapose photos of children’s drawings with images of financiers and politicians.
A picture of a woman in a bikini appears with the caption “Visiting you down in Palm Beach. Can’t get a second of privacy with you and a camera around ha ha!” The book also includes sentimental messages from Epstein’s family, including a note from his mother, Pauline Stolofsky Epstein, who wrote about his childhood and referenced his feature as “Bachelor of the Month” in Cosmopolitan magazine at age 21.
The document release comes amid growing public pressure for transparency around the Epstein case. The House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer criticized Democrats for “cherry-picking documents and politicizing information” after they released select pages before the full document dump. Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and is serving a 20-year prison sentence, told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in late August that she could only remember some parts of the book, adding that it had been years since she compiled it.
The files also included Epstein’s last will and testament, entries from his address book, and the controversial 2007 non-prosecution agreement between Epstein and federal prosecutors. The investigation continues to generate significant interest as lawmakers and the public seek answers about Epstein’s network and the government’s handling of his case. Epstein died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Published: Sep 9, 2025 03:31 pm