The Justice Department now says a handwritten letter it released that was signed by "J. Epstein" and addressed to convicted sex offender Larry Nassar is "fake", asserting that the handwriting did not appear to match that of Jeffrey Epstein.
The department had said earlier Tuesday that it was assessing the validity of the letter – which appeared to make crude references to President Donald Trump – because other details called into question whether it had actually been written and sent by Epstein.
"This fake letter serves as a reminder that just because a document is released by the Department of Justice does not make the allegations or claims within the document factual," the Justice Department said in a post on X hours after the letter was released among a tranche of other Epstein-related records.
READ MORE: What we know so far about the release of the Epstein files
The letter does not explicitly name Trump, but instead refers to "our president." The message appears to have been sent in August 2019, the same month Epstein died by suicide. Trump was president at the time.
The statement debunking the letter from the Justice Department noted that it was postmarked not in New York, where Epstein was imprisoned, but in Virginia, and the return address was for a jail different than the one holding Epstein. The envelope was processed three days after Epstein's suicide.
Authorities have not accused Trump of any wrongdoing or charged him with any crimes in connection with Epstein.
"Dear L.N.," the letter reads, "As you know by now, I have taken the 'short route' home. Good luck! We shared one thing … our love and caring for young ladies and the hope they'd reach their full potential. Our President also shares our love of young, nubile girls." The letter makes another lewd reference to Trump's treatment of women.
"Life is unfair," the letter reads.
READ MORE: US Justice Department releases new batch of Epstein documents
In a separate statement the department released earlier Tuesday, not aimed at any specific record in the most recent release, the Department said that some of the documents released "contain untrue and sensationalist claims" against the president.
"To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponised against President Trump already."
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on the letter.
While the letter is addressed to an "L.N.," a photo of the envelope – postmarked on August 13, 2019 and addressed to the former Olympic doctor and sex offender – was released by the DOJ. The envelope was sent from the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in New York City to Nassar, who was listed as an inmate at a federal prison in Arizona.
The letter was postmarked three days after Epstein died. Prison staff are authorised to read and inspect outgoing mail, which can cause delays. It's not clear why Epstein's letter was permitted by prison officials to be sent and why it was delayed.
Based on prison documents released from a Freedom of Information Act request, CNN previously reported that while he was jailed, Epstein appeared to send a letter to Nassar — although the contents of the letter were not disclosed. It was discovered by prison officials investigating Epstein's suicide weeks after his death. It is not known if Nassar and Epstein had a relationship.
READ MORE: Andrew pictured lying on laps in latest Epstein release
The FBI in 2020 requested from its laboratory a handwriting analysis be done to compare the letter to other writings from Epstein, according to another document posted on Tuesday from the DOJ. While the latest DOJ statement said the FBI had confirmed the letter was "fake," it did not specifically say that conclusion was based on the 2020 handwriting analysis.
Nassar, the longtime doctor for the USA gymnastics team and Michigan State University, is serving a 60-year sentence in federal prison on child pornography charges. More than 150 women and girls publicly told a court he sexually abused them.
The envelope, addressed to Larry Nassar at 9300 S. Wilmot Road, Tucson, Arizona, 85756, a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility, was marked as "return to sender," as the addressee was "no longer at this address."
READ MORE: Trump hurls outrageous slur at female reporter
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
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