US President Donald Trump says he has directed the US Justice Department to release additional documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“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,” the former president announced.
It remains unclear whether Trump is authorising public access to these documents, which would typically require a judge’s approval.
The move comes shortly after Trump declared plans to sue The Wall Street Journal over a report alleging that a birthday letter was sent to Epstein in 2003 bearing Trump’s name. The publication claimed the note, described as “bawdy,” was included in a compilation of greetings prepared by Ghislaine Maxwell, a known Epstein associate later convicted of aiding his sex trafficking network.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the note “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 said, adding that the letter allegedly concluded: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump dismissed the letter as fraudulent: “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures,” he wrote on social media.
He also criticised the media outlet and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, stating the pair “were warned directly” that they would be sued if the story was published. Trump described the article as “false, malicious, and defamatory”.
Pam Bondi, in a post shortly after Trump’s announcement, confirmed: “We are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.”
Grand juries are used to determine whether enough evidence exists to bring charges, but their findings must still go before a regular jury to lead to a conviction.
Some documents from a 2006 Florida case, in which Epstein was charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution, have already been released. That case faced widespread criticism over the leniency of the charges and the harrowing testimony of underage victims.
While campaigning last year, Trump had pledged to declassify files relating to Epstein.
Bondi recently drew backlash after walking back a claim that the Justice Department held a list of high-profile Epstein clients. She stated last week that the department did not believe such a list existed, nor did it contest the official finding that Epstein died by suicide in 2019.
Her remarks sparked outrage among Trump supporters, many of whom had anticipated explosive revelations. Some even demanded her resignation after previous assurances from Trump officials that the list and flight logs were in government possession.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who had recently criticised the administration’s handling of the case, welcomed Trump’s directive.
“This is massive, this is something that we’ve been talking about for quite some time, and really a power to the grassroots,” he said.
Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died in his New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death followed a previous 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
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