Donald Trump has asked the US attorney-general to unseal grand jury transcripts relating to Jeffrey Epstein as the administration tried to contain a backlash over its handling of files related to the late convicted paedophile.
In a post to his Truth Social platform late on Thursday, Trump said that, “based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein”, he had asked 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 added.
Bondi responded with a social media post, saying: “President Trump — we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.”
The decision to release the transcripts came after the president earlier on Thursday had posted on Truth Social that a Wall Street Journal report on alleged correspondence between Trump and Epstein was “false, malicious and defamatory”.
The president said he would “shortly” sue The Wall Street Journal, its parent company News Corp and owner Rupert Murdoch.
Spokespeople for News Corp and Murdoch declined to comment.
The White House has in recent days struggled to contain a backlash from some corners of the president’s Maga base over the administration’s handling of documents relating to Epstein’s death and his so-called “client list”.
Trump had promised during the election campaign to release files related to Epstein’s death, which has been at the centre of a long-running conspiracy since he died by suicide in 2019.
In February, Bondi said that a list of Epstein’s clients was “sitting on my desk right now to review”.
Last week, however, the Department of Justice and the FBI published a two-page memo that said there was no “client list” and no “credible evidence” that Epstein “blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions”. It also stated he had died by suicide.
Trump has so far defended his longtime ally Bondi, even as major figures of the Maga movement, including far-right activist Laura Loomer, called for her to be fired over her handling of the Epstein matter.
Bondi on Tuesday told reporters she would remain in her role as attorney-general “as long as the president wants me here and I believe he’s made that crystal clear, it’s four years”.
Additional reporting by Stefania Palma in Washington and Anna Nicolaou in New York