CNN
—
President Donald Trump has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to unseal pertinent testimony related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, as he appeared to bow to pressure to release more material on the case.
“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Thursday night. “This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!”
Bondi quickly reposted Trump’s comments on X and wrote, “President Trump—we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.”
Trump’s announcement came hours after the Wall Street Journal published a report detailing a birthday letter sent to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 bearing Trump’s name.
The drawing, depicting a woman’s breasts and a “Donald” signature in the place of pubic hair, surrounded several lines of typewritten text, according to the newspaper, which reviewed the letter. It concluded with the line: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
In a post responding to the story, Trump vowed to sue The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch, saying that he and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had warned them about publishing the story and that the letter was“fake.”
What could the release of Grand Jury testimony mean?
Federal grand juries are investigative bodies which hear testimony from witnesses and issue subpoenas, but it’s unclear if the material gathered during this secretive panel would advance the public’s understanding of the case as it’s not a complete record of the investigation, just enough to get an indictment.
The Department of Justice is expected ask a judge to release additional material, which is typically kept secret — but it’s unclear what they will argue that will convince a judge to release additional material that has been held back to protect victims and accusers. A Justice Department official confirmed the government is expected to file the request in federal court in Manhattan at some point on Friday.
Some transcripts related to the 2006 Florida grand jury investigation into Epstein have already been released. The public also received information throughout the course of the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell who was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in 2022 for carrying out a years-long scheme with Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls.
Trump and Bondi did not address what might become of FBI notes or interviews conducted outside of the grand jury process. Those are often much more voluminous and, even if they don’t ultimately become relevant to the criminal case, could enhance public understanding of a matter.
Trump’s request to Bondi comes amid growing calls, including from members of Trump’s own base, for more transparency surrounding the investigation into Epstein, a convicted sex offender who authorities have said killed himself while awaiting trial on federal charges.
The Justice Department said in a long-awaited memo last week that there is no evidence Epstein kept a “client list” or was murdered. The department also released 10 hours of jailhouse security footage that shows no one entered Epstein’s jail cell on the day he died by suicide.
“This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” the unsigned memo states. “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
The memo infuriated an influential contingent of Trump supporters who believed the administration would make all of the Epstein files public. It failed to produce a smoking gun, undercutting Trump and his team’s own words, leaving the MAGA world unhappy and pitting the president’s closest allies against one another. Much of the ire was directed at Attorney General Bondi.
Some of Trump’s most loyal allies in Congress were also not satisfied with his decision to not release additional files from the case, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina.
Trump was, however, laudatory of his attorney general, saying she could release any more “credible” files. He also decried this week “some stupid and foolish Republicans” who were focused on the issue and attacked Democrats for perpetuating a “hoax” aimed at targeting him politically.
CNN’s Adam Cancryn, Betsy Klein, Hannah Rabinowitz, Paula Reid and Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.
