Bill Clinton wrote a ‘warm and gushing’ letter which was included in Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous 50th ‘birthday book’, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The former US president was among hundreds who contributed to an elaborate leather-bound, gold-embossed album of letters compiled by Epstein’s former partner Ghislaine Maxwell, which she spent over a year assembling in anticipation of the significant date.

Mr Clinton’s letter is one page and is embossed with: ‘From the desk of William Jefferson Clinton’ at the top.

Donald Trump is currently suing The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for $10 billion (£7.46 billion) over an article published last week, claiming that his addition to the book was a ‘sexually suggestive’ and ‘bawdy’ letter addressed to Epstein, featuring an outline of a nude woman with Trump’s signature strategically placed as pubic hair.

Mr Trump has branded the letter a ‘fake’, saying: ‘I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language, it’s not my words.’

Mr Trump has said he parted ways with Epstein before allegations against him became public in 2006. 

The Mail on Sunday has discovered that Maxwell, who is now serving a 20-year prison sentence for child sex trafficking charges, started reaching out to Epstein’s acquaintances for submissions to the birthday book at the close of 2001.

It was presented to Epstein, who was later convicted of being a paedophile, on his 50th birthday, on January 20, 2003.

Bill Clinton wrote a ‘warm and gushing’ letter which was included in Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous 50th ‘birthday book’, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Pictured: Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein in 1993 at an event for donors to the White House Historical Association

Donald Trump (pictured this week) is now suing The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for $10billion (£7.46billion) for a story published last week alleging his contribution to the book was a ‘sexually suggestive’ and ‘bawdy’ letter to Epstein

Mr Clinton was one of hundreds who contributed to a heavy leather-bound, gold-embossed album of letters that Epstein’s ex-lover Ghislaine Maxwell (pictured, with Epstein) took more than a year to compile leading up to the landmark date

Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson – both friends of Epstein at that time – are also believed to have contributed letters to the book alongside Mr Clinton, who regularly flew in Epstein’s private jet, dubbed ‘the Lolita Express’.

Last night, a source said: ‘Ghislaine asked everyone they knew and that included presidents, princes and kings. 

‘Bill Clinton wrote a warm and gushing letter. It was one page and profuse in its admiration for Jeffrey.’

The MoS has been told Epstein’s close friend, Harvard scholar Henry Rosovsky, former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson and computer pioneer Marvin Minsky also all contributed letters.

The WSJ claimed Epstein’s lawyer Alan Dershowitz wrote a letter but he has yet to comment about the claim.

The whereabouts of the original book is not known. 

It is thought to have been seized during one of the raids on Epstein’s homes in Florida and New York, where Maxwell kept ‘dozens of albums’ filled with pictures of their trips together including holidays to visit Prince Andrew at Balmoral, Buckingham Palace and Windsor. 

She would have huge leather-bound albums made up after every trip, often with blue leather covers.

Last night, a source said: ‘Ghislaine asked everyone they knew and that included presidents, princes and kings. Bill Clinton wrote a warm and gushing letter’. Pictured: Mr Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in August last year

Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson (pictured in 1986) – both friends of Epstein at that time – are also believed to have contributed letters to the book

The letters are believed to have been included in more than 100,000 pages of evidence recently reviewed by 1,000 FBI agents working in 24-hour shifts.

It is believed the letters were copied by investigators and entered into evidence as facsimiles around the time the book was seized. 

A source claimed the WSJ’s story was based on a ‘poor facsimile’ copy of the alleged Trump letter and said: ‘The book is now sitting in a storage facility somewhere, if it still exists. 

‘What was in the evidence pile were poor-quality copies of single pages, not a copy of the whole book.’

Mr Trump has found himself embroiled in a row over Epstein with his loyal MAGA base.

He had vowed ‘full and complete transparency’, saying he would release the Epstein files, but his Attorney General Pam Bondi caused outrage earlier this month when she released a statement claiming there was no ‘client list’ and that no further information would be released, sparking claims of a cover-up.

On Friday, Ms Bondi backtracked and filed court documents seeking the release of Grand Jury testimony in both the Maxwell and Epstein cases. 

Epstein died in jail in 2019 as he awaited trial on child sex trafficking charges.

Epstein (pictured in a photo taken for the sex offender registry in 2017) died in jail in 2019 as he awaited trial on child sex trafficking charges

Virginia Giuffre (centre, with Prince Andrew, left, and Ghislaine Maxwell, right) accused Epstein of trafficking her three times to Andrew for sex, twice when she was just 17 and under age

His death was officially ruled a suicide but Maxwell’s brother Ian told the Mail yesterday he believed the billionaire was murdered. 

His sister is currently seeking an appeal in the Supreme Court.

Sources say it is unlikely that Prince Andrew will be mentioned in either tranche of documents. 

Virginia Giuffre accused Epstein of trafficking her three times to Andrew for sex, twice when she was just 17 and under age.

Andrew vehemently and consistently denied the charges and later settled a £12 million civil suit with no admission of guilt.

The FBI has closed the investigation into Andrew and a source close to the probe said: ‘The timelines of the cases are not when Andrew would have been around.’

Mr Clinton was approached for comment.