President Trump on Thursday said he was directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to release relevant grand jury testimony in the case of sex predator and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a move that comes after his supporters for days pressed the government to produce more information in 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. This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“President Trump—we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts,” Bondi posted on X.
Many Trump supporters have pushed for additional disclosures after the FBI and Justice Department last week stated Epstein did not have a client list and that his 2019 death at his New York City jail cell was a suicide. A number of prominent Trump supporters have for years pushed conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death and claims that a client list would reveal ties between Epstein and prominent Democrats.
Epstein, accused in several cases of sex trafficking young girls, ran in high-powered circles with figures that included Trump, former President Clinton, Britain’s Prince Andrew, and several other celebrities and ultrawealthy individuals. Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been convicted of sex trafficking.
Trump has in recent days expressed frustration with the ongoing focus on the Epstein case among even some of his strong supporters. He has admonished what he has called “weaklings” and “foolish Republicans” for giving attention to the Epstein case, claiming some of his supporters had been “duped” by Democrats into giving the story oxygen.
Bondi has also come under fire from some Trump supporters who argued she had overpromised and underdelivered on producing documents connected to the Epstein case.
The president’s directive came around the same time the House Rules Committee advanced a resolution along party lines calling for — but not legally requiring — the release of some information related to the Epstein files.
It is unclear when GOP leadership plans to stage a floor vote on the Epstein measure.
Trump’s announcement also came hours after The Wall Street Journal published a report detailing an alleged letter Trump wrote to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. The letter, which Trump denied writing, featured several lines of text “framed by the outline of a naked woman,” the Journal reported.
The letter to Epstein concluded, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” according to the Journal.
The president late Thursday said he would sue The Wall Street Journal over the article, and Trump allies quickly rallied to attack the publication and the credibility of the story.
