Overview

• The Wall Street Journal published a page from Jeffrey Epstein’s birthday book showing Epstein holding a poster-board check for $22,500 presented by Joel Pashcow and captioned as payment for a “fully depreciated” woman.
• White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded at a briefing, saying, “It is not Donald Trump’s signature on that check. The president did not sign that check.”
• Salon’s Amanda Marcotte argues Leavitt used a “clever trick” that avoids the joke’s implication about how Trump and Epstein viewed women, calling the response an attempt to deflect.
• Coverage revisits reported accounts tied to Epstein’s circle, including Stacey Williams’ allegation against Trump and recollections from Maria Farmer, as well as historical reporting that Anouska De Georgiou later dated Trump.
• Writers cite The New Yorker’s description of the birthday book as depraved and note Trump’s recent comments minimizing domestic violence and past deposition remarks about elite men to explain why the gag resonates now.