The White House said on Tuesday that it would support a forensic analysis of Donald Trump’s alleged signature on a letter given to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on his birthday more than 20 years ago.

The letter was part of a scrapbook which was compiled by Epstein’s ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a sentence for her involvement in the scandal. However, Trump’s aides have completely denied the allegations, claiming the signature is not his.

Trump, who was previously friends with Epstein but had a falling out with the former financier years before his death, has denied writing the letter. The note appears in a birthday book for Epstein and includes a sketch of a woman’s body and a message about secrets, news agency Reuters reported.

What is the issue and why now?

The letter consists of a nude sketch with a short note allegedly signed by Trump with a message addressed to Epstein, saying, “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday and may every day be a wonderful secret.” Trump’s printed name and signature appear on the page.

The document was released to the public on Monday by Democrats in the US House of Representatives. Trump dismissed the signature as fake, telling reporters on Tuesday: “That’s not my language. It’s nonsense.”

Also Read | Trump says ‘not my signature’ after alleged Epstein birthday note released

The release of the document and others involving Epstein have brought renewed attention to an issue that has become a political thorn in the president’s side as he faces growing pressure from his own supporters and even from members of his Republican Party to provide more transparency on findings of the Epstein investigations.

Though he has urged his supporters to move on from the topic, demand for details about Epstein’s crimes and who else may have known about them or been involved with him has remained high, Reuters said.

Trump receives support from officials

Trump’s spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, spoke in his defence, telling reporters the White House would back an analysis of the signature to prove Trump right, Reuters reported.

“The president did not write this letter. He did not sign this letter,” she said, adding that “the president has one of the most famous signatures in the world, and he has for many, many years,” she said.

House Oversight Committee chair James Comer, who is leading the congressional Epstein investigation, also said that he believed Trump.

“The president says he did not sign it, so I take the president at his word,” the Kentucky Republican told reporters.

Public grows suspicious of Trump’s involvement

Lawmakers met with Epstein victims last week at the US Capitol, after which they asked if Trump would meet with the victims, to which the president said he had not considered that.

“Certainly I don’t like that whole situation with respect to anybody being abused or hurt, but I haven’t, I haven’t even thought about that,” Trump said.

Also Read | Epstein Letter Allegedly From Trump Released by House DemocratsAlso Read | Former Epstein acquaintance reveals how he tried to impress Trump

Reuters/Ipsos conducted a poll on Tuesday, which revealed that 65% of respondents from the US believe that the government is hiding information about Epstein’s death in prison in 2019, which was ruled a suicide, and 72% said the government is hiding information about the accused sex trafficker’s client list. Both figures grew slightly from a similar survey conducted in July this year.

However, the survey of 1,084 adults found a bright spot for Trump, as 44% of Republican respondents said they approved of the way he was handling the Epstein case, up from 35% in July. Overall, only 17% of the public approved of his handling of the issue, the report said.

Investigation into Trump’s signature

Republican Representative Thomas Massie said she hopes James Comer’s committee will investigate Trump’s alleged signature on the birthday note.

“I’m not a forensic expert, but it looks like his signature,” Massie told reporters. “Hopefully they can do some kind of forensics on it and figure that out, so we don’t have to debate the knowable.”

Responding to that, Comer said his committee was unlikely to invest in examining a signature from so many years ago. Comer currently serves as the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

‘Hoax to smear the president’

Karoline Leavitt also accused Democrats of trying to hurt the president by focusing on the Epstein scandal.

“Republicans in the Trump Department of Justice have done more in terms of transparency when it comes to the Epstein case than any prior administration,” she said. “And why are the Democrats all of a sudden caring about this? It’s because they are desperately trying to concoct a hoax to smear the president of the United States.”

Pressed on what the White House believed was a hoax, Leavitt criticised the opposition party for using the Epstein story to distract the public from the Trump administration’s achievements, Reuters reported.