Just when the Epstein saga couldn’t get murkier, the Department of Justice dumped another tranche of documents on the public—and right on cue, the media zeroed in on a crude, unverified letter that conveniently fuels headlines while raising more questions than answers.

Buried among thousands of pages released Monday in what the DOJ calls “Data Set 8” is a handwritten note attributed to the late Jeffrey Epstein, allegedly penned days before his death in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019. The note is addressed to none other than Larry Nassar, the disgraced former Team USA gymnastics doctor and convicted sex offender.

Before the ink was dry on the coverage, the DOJ itself issued a warning on X, cautioning that some of the newly released material contains “untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump.” The department did not identify which documents fell into that category—but the timing is hard to ignore.

The letter, reproduced in full below, has not been authenticated publicly and was reportedly sent for handwriting analysis by the FBI. To date, no conclusions from that analysis have been released.

Here is the letter exactly as it appears in the DOJ release:

Dear L. N.

As you know by now, I have taken the “short route” home. Good luck! We shared one thing… our love & caring for young ladies at the hope they’d reach their full potential.

Our president shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to “grab snatch,” whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess halls of the system.

Life is unfair.

Yours
J. Epstein

While the note does not name President Donald Trump, media outlets wasted little time drawing lines—despite the DOJ’s explicit warning that false claims are embedded in the release.

Trump, who was serving his first term at the time of Epstein’s death, has long denied any involvement in Epstein’s crimes, stating their association ended in the mid-2000s. No evidence has ever surfaced linking Trump to Epstein’s criminal activity, and Trump has not been accused or charged in connection with the case.

Importantly, this letter is not new. The Associated Press reported on its existence as far back as June 2023 after it appeared in Bureau of Prisons records obtained via the Freedom of Information Act. At the time, the actual letter was not released—only referenced. The note was reportedly found weeks after Epstein’s death, returned to sender in the jail mailroom.

The document trail released Monday includes a chain-of-custody form (EFTA00036087) and another FBI-related record (EFTA00036076) showing the letter was submitted for handwriting analysis. What’s missing? Any public confirmation that Epstein actually wrote it.

Adding to the confusion, observers noticed that Data Set 8 briefly disappeared from the DOJ website Monday, only to reappear with resequenced file numbers. Several pages—including the letter and its envelope—were temporarily missing before being reposted under new identifiers. The DOJ has offered no explanation for the reshuffling.

Also included in the release: a graphic but fake video purporting to show Epstein attempting suicide in his cell—yet another reminder that not everything in these files is what it claims to be.