Latest news with #court documents
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump administration orders release of Epstein court documents amid mounting pressure
Update: Date: 2025-07-19T07:55:16.000Z Title: Trump administration orders release of Epstein court documents Content: The US Department of Justice asked a federal court on Friday to unseal grand jury transcripts in Jeffrey Epstein's case at the direction of Donald Trump amid a firestorm over the administration's handling of records related to the wealthy financier. The move – coming a day after a Wall Street Journal story put a spotlight on Trump's relationship with Epstein – seeks to contain a growing controversy that has engulfed the administration since it announced that it would not be releasing more government files from Epstein's sex trafficking case. Todd Blanche, the US deputy attorney general, filed motions urging the court to unseal the Epstein transcripts as well as those in the case against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. Epstein killed himself in 2019 shortly after his arrest while awaiting trial. The justice department's announcement that it would not be making public any more Epstein files enraged parts of Trump's base in part because members of his own administration had hyped the expected release and stoked conspiracies around the well-connected financier. Trump's demand to release the grand jury transcripts came after the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday on a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump's name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein's 50th birthday. The letter bearing Trump's name includes text framed by the outline of what appears to be a hand-drawn naked woman and ends with, 'Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret,' according to the newspaper. The outlet described the contents of the letter but did not publish a photo showing it entirely. Trump denied writing the letter, calling it 'false, malicious, and defamatory' and promised to sue. Trump said he spoke to both to the paper's owner, Rupert Murdoch, and its top editor, Emma Tucker, and told them the letter was 'fake'. In other developments: Attorney general Pam Bondi called the case 'a matter of public concern' in a formal request asking a federal judge to unseal grand jury transcripts from the 2019 investigation into Epstein, the late sex offender and longtime associate of Donald Trump. Dick Durbin, the senior Democrat on the senate judiciary committee wrote to Bondi to ask about the work of the 1,000 FBI personnel who reviewed approximately 100,000 Epstein-related records in March. 'My office was told that these personnel were instructed to 'flag' any records in which President Trump was mentioned', Durbin wrote. 'What happened to the records mentioning President Trump once they were flagged?' he asked. Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, has called for Barack Obama and former senior US national security officials to be prosecuted after accusing them of a 'treasonous conspiracy' intended to show that Trump's 2016 presidential election win was due to Russian interference. The Trump administration has decided to destroy $9.7m worth of contraceptives rather than send them abroad to women in need. A state department spokesperson confirmed that the decision had been made – a move that will cost US taxpayers $167,000. Marco Rubio, the secretary of state barred Brazilian supreme court justice Alexandre de Moraes from the United States in retaliation for the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil who has been charged for his role in allegedly leading an attempted coup following his loss in the 2022 election. Democrats are condemning CBS for its decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, noting the news comes a few days after its host criticized the network's parent company, Paramount, for settling a $16m lawsuit with Donald Trump. Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who appeared as a guest on Colbert's show on Thursday night, later wrote on social media: 'If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.'
BBC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Trump denies he wrote lewd birthday note for Epstein as he asks for release of court papers
Update: Date: 12:30 BST Title: Trump backers split over Epstein files as they call for transparency Content: Demands for the release of court documents relating to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein have also been coming from Trump's supporters. As US Vice-President JD Vance arrived in West Pittson, Pennsylvania, he was greeted by a sign reading: "WHERE IS THE LIST???" - a reference to Epstein's purported client list. During his presidential campaign Trump promised to declassify Epstein files, including the much-anticipated 'list'. "We put you in office, you ran on this platform," truck driver and Trump supporter Steven Taylor told the BBC. "We didn't ask for it. And now we want it. We demand it. There needs to be accountability. There needs to be justice." Others remain confident the files will be released. Ed DeLucca, 72, said that when Trump "is ready, he'll let them out". "There's a reason for it. They'll come out," he added before saying that Maga factions warring over the Epstein files need to "make peace" first. And some are pinning the blame for the growing pressure on Democrats for failing to declassify more details earlier. "I don't care. Democrats should have released it when Biden was president," Chrissy Matticks told the BBC. "Democrats are just using it as a political football." Update: Date: 12:10 BST Title: Who was Jeffrey Epstein? Content: Before he became the central figure in a high-profile sex trafficking case, Jeffrey Epstein was a maths teacher and powerful financier in New York City. Courting the rich and famous with private jets and lavish parties in the 1980s, Epstein's business grew to manage hundreds of millions of dollars in clients' assets. Among the celebrities he socialised with were US President Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew. "I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy," Trump told New York magazine in 2002, external. In 2005, the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police in Florida that Epstein had molested their daughter at his Palm Beach home. He avoided federal charges and instead received an 18-month prison sentence. Since 2008, Epstein had been listed as a level three on the New York sex offenders register. It was a lifelong designation meaning he was at a high risk of reoffending. In July 2019, he was arrested in New York on sex trafficking charges, accused of running "a vast network" of underage girls for sex. After being denied bail, he was held in New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he was found dead in his cell months later. Update: Date: 11:45 BST Title: How Republicans are reacting Content: US President Donald Trump is facing a mixture of backlash and support over the handling of the Epstein files issue, including from his often loyal political base. On Thursday, Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said: "If President Trump was guilty of anything regarding Jeffrey Epstein, Democrats would have used it against him the past 4 years." She also thanked Pam Bondi and Donald Trump, reacting to their announcement that they will unseal grand jury transcripts. Meanwhile, representative Thomas Massie said on X: "Folks, keep the pressure on, it's working. But we want all the files." House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday the justice department should release all of its information on the disgraced sex offender. On Wednesday, he walked back on these comments, saying his words were "misrepresented", and he was clear he was "saying the same thing as the president" and only wants "credible information" released. Another conservative Republican, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, said on Tuesday the "American people deserve and can handle the truth. Let's see the files". But other influential Republicans – including senator John Thune and congressman Jim Jordan – deferred to Trump on the matter. Update: Date: 11:26 BST Title: Trump denies report he wrote Epstein lewd birthday note Content: These latest developments come shortly after Trump said he would sue the Wall Street Journal over an article alleging that a "bawdy" birthday greeting bearing his name was sent to Epstein in 2003, before the late financier was charged with sex crimes. The letter, which the newspaper claims was sent on Epstein's 50th birthday, has been decried by Trump as a "fake". In a post, Trump says the newspaper and owner Rupert Murdoch "were warned directly" they would be sued if they printed the story, describing it as "false, malicious, and defamatory". According to the newspaper, a letter bearing Trump's name "contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker". "Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person," the paper reports. It reportedly contains a joking reference that 'Enigmas never age' and allegedly ends with the words: "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret." "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures," Trump said on social media in response to the story. According to the WSJ, the letter was part of a compilation of birthday greetings that was put together by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of helping Epstein to sex-traffic children and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Update: Date: 11:06 BST Title: A timeline of how we got here Content: Donald Trump, his wife Melania, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell pose for a photo in February 2000 While campaigning for the presidency, Donald Trump promised to disclose as yet unreleased files relating to Jeffrey Epstein, after conspiracy theories about them swirled online for years. Since Trump's return to office in January, some supporters have grown frustrated with his administration's handling of this pledge. Here's a look back at the key dates since: 21 February Attorney General Pam Bondi tells Fox News that a list of Epstein's clients is 'sitting on my desk right now'. The White House later says she was referring to all the files related to Epstein's crimes. 28 February Bondi accuses federal investigators of withholding thousands of documents related to Epstein, and asks the FBI to release all the information. 26 April Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein of sexual assault, dies by suicide aged 41, her family says. The prince has long denied any wrongdoing. 6 June Tech billionaire Elon Musk posts on X that Trump is 'in the Epstein files', referring to court documents and evidence thought to have been collected by investigators. The White House rubbishes the post, which Musk deletes. 7 July The US Department of Justice and FBI conclude in a report that Epstein did not have a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did take his own life – contradicting long-held conspiracy theories. 17 July Trump asks Bondi to release "any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony" on Jeffrey Epstein, after what he calls a "ridiculous amount of publicity". Update: Date: 11:03 BST Title: What has Trump said? Content: This video can not be played Watch: Trump says Pam Bondi should release 'credible' Epstein files On Thursday, Donald Trump said he had asked his attorney general to "produce any and all pertinent grand jury testimony" relating to Jeffrey Epstein, "subject to court approval". It's unclear whether he was referring to the first set of cases concerning Epstein in the early 2000s or federal charges brought in 2019. The BBC has enquired with the White House. On Tuesday, Trump said Attorney General Pam Bondi should release 'whatever she thinks is credible' on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He also questioned the public fascination with the case, describing it as 'sordid but boring'. The president is facing a rare backlash from supporters after seeking to draw a line under the disgraced financier's case. Over the weekend, Trump urged his supporters not to 'waste time and energy' on the controversy. However, allies of the president, including House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, are calling for 'transparency'. Last week, a memo released by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and FBI concluded Epstein did not have a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did take his own life - contrary to conspiracies. During his presidential campaign, Trump promised to declassify Epstein files, including the much-anticipated 'list'. Update: Date: 11:03 BST Title: Trump orders release of Epstein files as pressure grows Content: Overnight, the US president said he had ordered the US Department of Justice (DoJ) to release more court documents relating to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, following pressure from some of his most loyal supporters. In response, Attorney General Pam Bondi said: "We are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts." It's unclear if they are referring to the first set of cases concerning Epstein from the early 2000s, or federal charges brought in 2019 - we've asked the White House. It also doesn't mean we will necessarily see anything released today. Last week, Bondi said the DoJ did not believe Epstein had a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did take his own life - contrary to long-held conspiracies The US president's decision came shortly after he said he would sue the Wall Street Journal after it reported that Trump's name appeared on a "bawdy" 2003 birthday note to Epstein. It "contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker," the publication reports. "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures," Trump said. Stay with us for further updates.
