UK Ambassador to the United States Lord Peter Mandelson described convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein as his “best pal” in a letter contained within a birthday book released by US lawmakers on Monday.
The message, written for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, describes him as an “intelligent, sharp-witted man” who “parachuted” into Mandelson’s life. The former Labour cabinet minister wrote that he would “spend many hours just waiting for him to turn up” and concluded with “Happy Birthday, Jeffrey. We love you!”
The House Oversight Committee released the documents following a subpoena issued to Epstein’s estate executors last month. The birthday book was compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator, three years before sex abuse allegations became public.
Congressional committee releases documents after estate subpoena
Democrats released the 238-page scrapbook alongside other estate documents including Epstein’s personal address book and will. The collection contains submissions from various high-profile individuals connected to Epstein.
The documents include an alleged note from President Donald Trump featuring a drawing of a woman’s body, which the White House denied as authentic. The administration stated Trump “did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.”
A 2019 JP Morgan internal report filed to a New York court noted that Epstein maintained “particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British government.”
Spokesperson confirms regret over Epstein association
Mandelson’s spokesperson told the BBC that his connection to Epstein “has been a matter of public record for some time” and referenced previous comments to the Financial Times where he stated: “I regret ever meeting him or being introduced to him by his partner Ghislaine Maxwell.”
The spokesperson confirmed Mandelson “has long been clear that he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein.”
The letter includes a photograph of Mandelson with two women whose faces are obscured. Mandelson wrote that after Epstein appeared in his life, “no sooner were you getting used to having him around, you would suddenly be alone… again, leaving you with some ‘interesting’ friends to entertain instead.”
Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial following his 2006 criminal indictment in Florida on solicitation charges.
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