DOJ Asks Judge To Release Grand Jury Testimony In Epstein Case
The Trump administration has moved to release sealed grand jury testimony related to Jeffrey Epstein, as the Justice Department filed a motion Friday asking a federal judge to unseal the secret records tied to the late convicted sex offender.
The Justice Department’s motion calls the release “a matter of public interest,” citing continued public concern surrounding Epstein’s crimes, his death, and the network of individuals who may have been involved. A similar request was also filed in the case against his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, CNN reported.
President Donald Trump ordered the move personally on Thursday night, and Attorney General Pam Bondi agreed to act swiftly. The filing marks the latest attempt to push back against criticism that the administration had walked back its promise of full transparency.
“This is about restoring public trust,” one senior official said. “The president wants everything out there — no games, no delays.”
Bondi had previously vowed to release as much of the Epstein file as legally possible, but faced blowback after the Justice Department released a memo last week concluding there was no “client list” and no evidence that Epstein was murdered. That finding angered both critics and supporters who have long suspected a larger cover-up.
In the Friday filing, the DOJ said the goal of the internal review was to “determine whether evidence existed that could predicate an investigation into uncharged third parties.” The conclusion? No such evidence was found.
“Given this longstanding and legitimate interest, the government now moves to unseal grand jury transcripts associated with Epstein,” the filing reads.
Trump addressed the move publicly on Truth Social late Thursday.
“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. “This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!”
The filing was signed by both Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. It emphasized that members of Congress, legal experts, and everyday Americans still have deep concerns about Epstein’s crimes and potential accomplices, and that the release of these transcripts would help bring clarity and accountability.
But it’s not that simple. The decision to unseal the transcripts now rests with U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman, who presided over Epstein’s criminal case before his death in 2019. The judge will need to consult with both Epstein’s victims and any uncharged individuals named in the testimony, as their identities are protected under federal law.
That process could take weeks or months, depending on how many individuals are involved and how quickly they can be contacted. Until then, the grand jury materials will remain under seal.
And even if they are released, these transcripts represent just a fraction of the total Epstein archive. Thousands of pages of evidence from witness interviews to internal memos remain in DOJ custody. It’s unclear how much of it will ever be made public.
Sources familiar with the review told CNN the FBI had been working around the clock to process and redact unreleased material, but ran into serious obstacles. The documents were so sensitive that the redactions often blacked out entire pages, rendering the releases useless. By handing the decision over to a federal judge, the administration may now avoid accusations of withholding documents or over-censoring them.
To date, hundreds of pages have already been unsealed by federal judges, but many more remain blocked under federal laws that protect the privacy of Epstein’s victims and people never charged with a crime.
Still, the administration insists it is serious about transparency.
“This is just the beginning,” said a source close to the case. “The president is determined to bring as much daylight to this as possible — no matter who it exposes.”
