DOJ asks federal court to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts

(NewsNation) — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday asked a federal court to unseal transcripts from the grand jury that was investigating sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before his 2019 death in jail.

Although such records are typically kept secret, Bondi asked in her motion that the U.S. District Court, New York Southern District make an exception, while protecting the identities of victims, given the “extensive public interest” in the case.

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice and the FBI concluded evidence did not support investigating “uncharged third parties,” Bondi noted, a conclusion she said she still supports.

That attempt to effectively close the Epstein case has created a rift within the political base of President Donald Trump, with conspiracy theories abounding over the contents of sealed records and about Epstein’s death, which was ruled a suicide.

“Public officials, lawmakers, pundits, and ordinary citizens remain deeply interested
and concerned about the Epstein matter,” Bondi wrote.

Epstein, a jet-setting financier, was accused of sex trafficking and abusing underage girls at his properties in New York and Florida. His confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted of sex trafficking and is serving a 20-year sentence.

The multiple celebrities in Epstein’s orbit have included President Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, who have tried to distance themselves from the scandal. None have been accused of wrongdoing.

Some of Trump’s supporters, however, have pushed conspiracy theories about the potential culpability of rich and famous people who were associated with Epstein. Bondi, Trump’s attorney general, earlier this year suggested she had the so-called “Epstein client list” on her desk, which observers say helped feed the conspiracies.

Frustrated at the continuing attention to the Epstein story, Trump has lashed out at some followers. This week, he asked Bondi to work on getting the grand-jury transcripts unsealed.

“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,” he wrote on Truth Social. “This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!”