FBI Expert Analysis Raises Doubts on Authenticity of Alleged Trump Signature in Epstein Book

A seasoned FBI signature expert has concluded it is "highly unlikely" that President Trump personally signed a controversial birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein, suggesting the signature may have been fraudulently affixed rather than forged. This finding, detailed in a report commissioned by Just the News, challenges claims surrounding a document from Epstein's 50th birthday book that Democrats have used to attack President Trump, despite his firm denials of any involvement.

According to the Just the News article published on September 14, 2025, retired FBI Special Agent Wayne Barnes—a 29-year veteran who led an elite unit specializing in forgeries and disinformation—conducted an in-depth examination of the letter. Barnes, now a private investigator in Florida with extensive court testimony experience, analyzed available photocopies and compared the signature to known examples of President Trump's handwriting. He noted stylistic similarities in the "Donald" portion to Trump's informal first-name signatures in personal letters, but highlighted key discrepancies that point to manipulation.

One major red flag, as outlined in Barnes' report for Just the News, is the paper color mismatch. President Trump's outgoing correspondence typically uses off-white or yellow-to-beige paper, while the Epstein letter appears on white paper matching the birthday book's pages. Barnes suggested this indicates the signature was likely cut from another document and pasted onto the white page to blend in, masking the original color difference. "By far, the pages where Mr. Trump signs with his first name only, are outgoing letters where there is some coloration to the paper used," Barnes stated in his analysis, as quoted by Just the News. He added that if President Trump had intended a birthday greeting, it would have been a brief, formal note rather than the elaborate, suggestive dialogue and drawing featured in the letter.

The overall investigation into the document stems from its release by the House Oversight Committee as part of Epstein's estate records, where it was presented amid redacted entries from other high-profile figures. The letter, dated to the early 2000s, includes a sexually suggestive message over a woman's silhouette sketch, which President Trump has adamantly denied authoring or signing. White House officials, as reported by Just the News, have called it a forgery, with plans for a defamation lawsuit against media outlets amplifying the claims.

Barnes' expertise, previously used to authenticate signatures in high-stakes cases like verifying a receipt for Hunter Biden's laptop, lends significant weight to his doubts. His report for Just the News emphasizes that while the signature resembles Trump's style, the context and physical evidence suggest it was not written by him. This analysis reinforces suspicions of a smear campaign, especially given President Trump's public break from Epstein in the 1990s and his lack of any wrongdoing allegations tied to the financier.

As the Epstein files continue to unfold, this expert scrutiny provides a crucial counter to narratives seeking to tarnish President Trump's reputation, highlighting the need for rigorous verification in such politically charged revelations. Just the News' commissioning of Barnes' detailed report underscores the importance of independent forensic examination in separating fact from fabrication.