Donald Trump has called the Jeffrey Epstein story a dead issue. But in a week of blockbuster new revelations, Epstein's criminality - and its consequences - continue to haunt many of his former associates.
The so-called birthday book of wishes given to Epstein in 2003, that was publicly released on Monday, has given new ammunition to Trump's critics, and it will also keep his base and the wider public clamouring for more details.
It may not be a proverbial smoking gun – an undeniable link to wrongdoing that destroys careers or supercharges criminal investigations. But it is concrete, troubling evidence of the close relationship the late financier and convicted sex offender had with the rich and powerful.
That alone makes it an explosive and compelling story – one that is capturing the public's attention in ways a typical political story does not.
While the 2003 book, compiled by Epstein's then-girlfriend and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, is full of dozens of personal notes, it is the one purportedly from Trump that has turned this from a tragic story of sex trafficking and exploitation into one of national partisan intrigue.
The details of the note – an imagined dialogue between Trump and Epstein full of innuendo and double-entendres set within the sketched outline of a nude female torso - have been known to the public since the Wall Street Journal reported on them in July.
Trump had initially responded to that coverage with blanket denials, protestations of being the target of a hoax and a defamation lawsuit in which his lawyers doubted the note's existence.
Make no mistake, while there is no suggestion of criminal wrongdoing by Trump, the political consequences of the Epstein saga on the president are very real.
He is vulnerable on this issue. His attempts to deflect or dismiss it have failed. Trump’s own base has been divided over the White House's handling of the Epstein files, and any recalibrated explanation risks undercutting his reputation.
The interest in Epstein's story – one of sex, crime, and power – will continue to drive attention regardless of the political motivations behind some who advance it. Furthermore, ongoing calls for the release of remaining Epstein documents may cause even more public scrutiny, making it clear that Trump's past ties with Epstein will linger as a point of contention.
