WASHINGTON — The Trump administration asked a federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the case of late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein following a torrent of criticism that government officials are hiding documents and information.
Justice Department lawyers made the requests to a federal court in Manhattan on Friday.
“Transparency to the American public is of the utmost importance to this administration,” the Justice Department said in the filing, adding “given the public interest” in the investigations into Epstein, the transcripts should be released.
The government made the request after releasing a two-page memo in early July saying there was no additional information to release. Attorney General Pam Bondi said earlier this year in a Fox News interview that an Epstein client list was sitting on her desk for review. She later clarified that comment, saying she was referring to the Epstein files in general.
The back-and-forth has fueled a firestorm that has engulfed President Donald Trump and several of his top aides.
On Thursday, Trump authorized the Justice Department to seek the release of grand jury testimony from the Epstein prosecution after The Wall Street Journal published a story alleging he once sent a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein. The president said the letter was “FAKE” in a social media post and threatened to sue.
On Friday, Trump sued Dow Jones & Co., News Corp. and Rupert Murdoch for libel in federal court in Florida. Dow Jones didn’t immediately respond to request for comment. Details of the filing weren’t immediately available in online court records.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to Florida charges, including procurement of minors to engage in prostitution. He died in a Manhattan jail in 2019 as he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls. A medical examiner and an investigation by the FBI determined that Epstein died by suicide.
The memo released this month by the Justice Department and FBI concurred that Epstein died by suicide in federal custody and said investigators uncovered no evidence of a “client list” or blackmail operation involving prominent individuals. The document said surveillance footage confirmed Epstein was locked in his cell and that no unauthorized access occurred to the housing unit at the time of his death.
