Republicans are all on message about the note attributed to President Donald Trump with an outline of a woman in Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday book: It isn't his, it is not his signature — and even if it was, it doesn't matter.
Trump is currently fighting a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal — and it's owner Rupert Murdoch — after it reported that Trump had a page in the book. Trump and the White House continue to deny that the page was from him.
Speaking to the press on Monday and Tuesday, Republican lawmakers made it clear that they don't care even if the letter does prove to be authentic.
"From what I see, it's not his signature," claimed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), avoiding eye contact with a reporter. "I've seen Donald Trump sign a million things."
He was asked again whether it looked like Trump's signature and replied, "Nope. Doesn't look like it. I've watched him sign non-stop."
"I don't know. I mean, anyone can do a signature and we've seen autopens used quite a bit," said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), implying that Trump could have used an autopen to sign the personal birthday greeting that was written on a doodle of a naked female.
"I've never known Trump to be much of an artist either. So, I kind of call that into question," he added.
"I highly doubt that it is," said Eric Burlison (R-MO) when asked whether the note to Epstein was Trump's. "I don't think that — if that is true, and he did sign that letter, I don't know that there's anything there."
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said that he doesn't want to know more about Trump's relationship with Epstein.
"Haven't seen it. Don't buy it," Jordan said before walking off.
CNN's Manu Raju asked House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) if he would investigate if the page released by his committee was forged, but he said he would not.
“Twenty-two years ago was when that was allegedly sent. So, I don't think the Oversight Committee is going to invest in looking up something that was 22 years ago," said Comer, according to Raju on X.
“The president says he did not sign it. So I take the president at his word,” Comer continued. “You asked if I'm going to be trying to figure out whether that, you know, is fake or not, probably not. We're going to be trying to get justice for the victim.”
"They are bald-faced lying. And they know they are lying for Donald Trump," said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) speaking to MSNBC on Tuesday as host Ana Cabrera displayed other Trump signatures from around that same time that matched.
"We also know Donald Trump has called this whole thing a hoax and we had literal survivors here, pleading and begging to the president not to give Ghislaine Maxwell special treatment and to at least come clean about the cover-up and to release the files," Garcia continued, talking about Epstein's former girlfriend and convicted accomplice. After she spoke with Trump's Justice Department, she was sent to a much lighter prison camp rather than the low-level prison she was sent to before.
He also noted Trump's previous comments that his note in the birthday book never existed.
See the clips below or at the link here.
