The leading Democrat on the House committee probing the Jeffrey Epstein case announced on Friday that Epstein’s estate will provide a book believed to include a specific 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump to Epstein.
After a subpoena was issued by the Republican-run House Oversight Committee this week as part of its investigation, the estate is expected to hand over the book, according to Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif, as stated on MSNBC.
“The estate is now set to give us the book along with numerous other unreported documents,” he stated. “We’re projected to obtain these documents by September 8th, which will further our investigation.”
Garcia also revealed that “a number of Epstein’s victims” will be visiting Capitol Hill next week to engage with legislators, aiming to “highlight their narratives” and “center on the victims.”
The subpoena for Epstein’s estate, issued by Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., demands the submission of several documents by Sept. 8, including “all entries within the reported leather-bound book created by Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday.” It also requests any materials that “could potentially be interpreted as a list of clients.”
Regarding Garcia’s comments, a spokesperson for Comer informed NBC News in a statement, “The Committee expects the Epstein estate to adhere to the Chairman’s subpoena and provide documents and communications, including a digital copy of the reported birthday book, to the Committee.”
Representatives of Epstein’s estate did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday night.
The Oversight committee, which has also subpoenaed the Justice Department for files, ramped up its investigation after the DOJ and FBI thrust Epstein’s case back into the spotlight with an unsigned joint memo saying they would not be releasing any additional files.
The memo sparked an uproar among Trump’s base and even within his administration. Trump on the campaign trail claimed that the government had hid aspects of its investigation into Epstein, and he pledged to further transparency.
The situation escalated last month when the Wall Street Journal published a story saying Trump had sent Epstein a drawing of a naked woman as a 50th birthday message that Ghislaine Maxwell included as part of a leather-bound book with many other birthday messages from friends. Trump sued the Journal and its parent company’s owner Rupert Murdoch for libel, seeking at least $10 billion in damages, and said in a social media post announcing the lawsuit that the story was “FAKE NEWS.”
NBC News has not independently verified or seen the birthday message.
The Oversight committee this week also said that former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who was U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida when that office reached a non-prosecution agreement with Epstein in 2008, will voluntarily sit for a transcribed interview next month.
The committee previously issued a batch of subpoenas for recipients such as former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI Director Robert Mueller.
A committee spokesperson said Friday that the panel was withdrawing its subpoena for Mueller due to “health issues that preclude him from being able to testify.”
