Trump directs AG Bondi to unseal Epstein grand jury records
July 17 (UPI) -- Amid a deepening furor from his far-right, conspiracy-believing base over his administration's reluctance to make public the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files, President Donald Trump on Thursday directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release "any and all" grand jury testimony related to the disgraced, deceased financier.
"Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval," he said on his Truth Social media platform Thursday night.
Bondi, on X, responded: "We are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts."
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in his Manhattan jail cell as he was awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges in connection with allegations of running a child sex-trafficking ring. His death, as well as his association with celebrities, including Trump, has led to rampant conspiracy theories. The files, some contend, contain evidence that some of Epstein's high-profile associates also participated in his alleged sex crimes.
Trump has come under mounting pressure -- and criticism -- from his Make America Great Again base to release the documents since his Justice Department said earlier this month in a memo that much of the information is under legal seal but that there is "no incriminate 'client list'" in the files and that "there was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions." It also states that Epstein died by suicide, an assertion supported by video footage.
Amid the pressure, Trump, who was a friend of Epstein from the late 1980s until the early 2000s, has attempted to blame Democrats for making this an issue, despite his own appointees being among those who have called for the files to be released.
He has also repeatedly used the word "hoax" in recent days to describe the situation, though it was unclear what he was calling a deception. Meanwhile, he has thrown blame at former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, among others.
When asked during a regular press briefing Thursday afternoon what Trump meant by calling it a "hoax," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pointed to Democrats playing politics.
"The Democrats had control of this building, the White House, for years, and they didn't do a dang thing when it came to transparency in regards to Jeffrey Epstein and his heinous crimes," she said.
"It was this president who directed the Department of Justice and the attorney general to do an exhaustive review of all files related to Jeffrey Epstein, which they did."
She also attempted to shift responsibility from the president to the Justice Department, saying if Bondi, her department and the FBI have "any, more credible evidence in regards to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, they should put that forward."
"He has called on them to do that," she said.
Many in his base have called on him to appoint a special prosecutor to unseal and release all Epstein-related files, but the White House on Thursday threw cold water on the demand.
"The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That's how he feels," Leavitt said.
Trump also threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal for reporting on a letter to Epstein that bears the president's name.
The letter was sent to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. The Wall Street Journal reported that the document consisted of text typewritten within the outline of a naked woman.
On his Truth Social account, Trump claimed the letter was fake.
Epstein pleaded guilty in state court in Palm Beach County to two felony charges of soliciting prostitution and soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008, and was sentenced to 18 months but served only 13 months.
In 2019, he was arrested again on federal charges of sex trafficking minors in Florida and New York.
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