President Donald Trump has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce pertinent testimony related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, seeming to bow to pressure to release more material on the case.
“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 in a Truth Social post Thursday night. “This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!”
Bondi quickly reposted Trump’s comments on X and wrote, “President Trump—we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.”
The Department of Justice could ask judges to make such material public, but the process could be lengthy as the courts weigh privacy and other concerns.
Trump’s announcement came hours after the Wall Street Journal published a report detailing a birthday letter sent to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 bearing Trump’s name.
The drawing, depicting a woman’s breasts and a “Donald” signature in the place of pubic hair, surrounded several lines of typewritten text, according to the newspaper, which reviewed the letter. It concluded with the line: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
In a post responding to the story, Trump vowed to sue The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch, saying that he and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had warned them about publishing the story and that the letter was“fake.”
Growing calls around Epstein investigation
Trump’s request to Bondi comes amid growing calls, including from members of Trump’s own base, for more transparency surrounding the investigation into Epstein, a convicted sex offender who authorities have said killed himself while awaiting trial on federal charges.
The Justice Department said in a long-awaited memo last week that there is no evidence Epstein kept a “client list” or was murdered. The department also released 10 hours of jailhouse security footage that shows no one entered Epstein’s jail cell on the day he died by suicide.
“This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” the unsigned memo states. “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
The memo infuriated an influential contingent of Trump supporters who believed the administration would make all of the Epstein files public. It failed to produce a smoking gun, undercutting Trump and his team’s own words, leaving the MAGA world unhappy and pitting the president’s closest allies against one another. Much of the ire was directed at Attorney General Bondi.
Some of Trump’s most loyal allies in Congress were also not satisfied with his decision to not release additional files from the case, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina.
Trump was, however, laudatory of his attorney general, saying she could release any more “credible” files. He also decried this week “some stupid and foolish Republicans” who were focused on the issue and attacked Democrats for perpetuating a “hoax” aimed at targeting him politically.
CNN’s Adam Cancryn, Betsy Klein, Hannah Rabinowitz, Paula Reid and Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.
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