Donald Trump requests release of grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein case

The US president has also threatened to sue the Wall Street Journal over a story it published about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Donald Trump, wearing a blue suit and striped tie, is speaking.

Donald Trump socialised with Jeffrey Epstein in the 1990s. Source: AAP / Evan Vucci/AP

United States President Donald Trump said he had asked attorney general Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent grand jury testimony in the Jeffrey Epstein case, subject to court approval.

"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 wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Shortly after Trump's statement, Bondi said on X the justice department was ready to move the court on Friday to unseal the grand jury transcripts.

"President Trump — we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts," Bondi wrote.

While facing federal charges of sex trafficking minors, Epstein, a wealthy financier, died in a New York jail in 2019. He had pleaded not guilty, and the case was dropped after his death.
Releasing the files was once a key campaign issue for Trump, but he later dismissed the documents as "pretty boring stuff".

Trump had previously socialised with Epstein and documents showed Trump is named in flight logs of Epstein's private plane in the 1990s.

On Thursday, Trump threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal after it published a story about an alleged off-colour letter written by him to Epstein that reportedly featured a drawing of a naked woman.

The journal story, which quickly reverberated around the US capital, claims the note to Epstein bearing Trump's signature was part of a collection of notes for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. The newspaper says it reviewed the letter but did not print an image.


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Source: Reuters, AFP


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