Trump orders release of Epstein ‘transcripts'
After months of pledges to disclose the full case files, the US Department of Justice said in a memo on Sunday that no further documents would be made public – triggering backlash even among some of Trump's closest supporters.
'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 on Truth Social on Thursday. 'This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!'
Bondi confirmed that her office is 'ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts,' though it remains unclear which documents would be released or when.
Epstein was arrested in 2019 and charged with trafficking minors for sex. He allegedly hanged himself in his New York jail cell before standing trial. His longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was later convicted of conspiring to sexually abuse underage girls and is now serving a 20-year sentence. Although Epstein's death was officially ruled a suicide, it has long fueled public skepticism.
The DOJ's controversial review concluded that no 'client list' of Epstein's sex-trafficking ring ever existed and found no evidence of blackmail. There were no grounds to investigate uncharged third parties, the memo stated.
These findings appeared to contradict Bondi's earlier comments that the client list was 'sitting on [her] desk,' and that the FBI had turned over a 'truckload' of materials that would 'make you sick.'
During a government meeting on Tuesday, she walked back those remarks, clarifying that she was referring to case files on her desk in general. She also dismissed concerns about a one-minute gap in the 11-hour surveillance video recorded near Epstein's jail cell.
Trump ordered the release of additional documents after the Wall Street Journal published a report accusing him of sending a birthday greeting to Epstein in 2003 that allegedly featured a crude drawing of a nude woman. The president has denied the claim and threatened to sue Rupert Murdoch and what he called his 'third-rate newspaper' for defamation.
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