Trump administration seeks release of Epstein grand jury records but not
Justice Department files
[July 19, 2025]
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
WASHINGTON (AP) — Under intense pressure from President Donald Trump's
own supporters, his administration on Friday asked a federal court to
unseal secret documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's case in an effort
to put to rest for good a political crisis largely of its own making.
But even if those records become public, it's far from certain they will
appease critics enraged over the administration's unfulfilled promises
of full transparency about evidence against the wealthy financier.
Meanwhile, the administration remains dogged by questions about its
refusal to release other records in its possession after stoking
conspiracy theories and pledging to uncover government secrets of the
“deep state.”
Here's a look at the ongoing Epstein files controversy and what may
happen next:
How the case got here
Trump is desperately trying to turn the page on a crisis that has
consumed his administration since the Justice Department announced last
week that it would not release any more evidence about the sex
trafficking investigation into Epstein, who killed himself behind bars
while awaiting trial in 2019.
The latest development came Thursday when the Wall Street Journal
described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore
Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th
birthday. Trump denied writing the letter, calling it “false, malicious,
and defamatory.”
Shortly after the story was published, Trump said he had directed
Attorney General 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!” the
president wrote on social media.
Bondi then announced that the Justice Department would move Friday to
ask the court to unseal the grand jury transcripts. Deputy Attorney
General Todd Blanche filed the motion urging the court to release the
transcripts.
Courts are typically reluctant to release grand jury materials
Grand juries decide whether there is enough evidence to bring an
indictment, or a formal criminal charge, and their proceedings are
secret to protect the reputations of people who end up not being charged
and to encourage reluctant witnesses to testify.
Grand jury transcripts — which could show the testimony of witnesses and
other evidence presented by prosecutors — are rarely released by courts,
unless they need to be disclosed in connection with a judicial
proceeding. In fact, grand jury secrecy is such a sacrosanct principle
under the law that government officials who improperly disclose
testimony are subject to prosecution. Witnesses are not bound by those
rules.
Even with the Justice Department endorsement, it could take weeks or
months of legal wrangling to decide what can be released and how to
protect witnesses and other sensitive victim information.
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And it's unlikely the transcripts would shed any light on a major
fascination of conspiracy theorists obsessed with Epstein's case:
the financier's connections to other powerful figures whom some
believe were involved in Epstein's sex trafficking scheme.
Court have blocked the release of grand jury materials in other
high-profile investigations. House Democrats in 2019 sought grand
jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation
while Congress was conducting its impeachment inquiry into Trump.
But the Justice Department successfully fought for years to keep the
material secret.
The administration could release other records right now
The Justice Department's decision to seek grand jury transcripts
gives the administration a reason to point to the courts to explain
why more material hasn't yet been released. But the uproar over the
Epstein files was never about the grand jury transcripts — it was
about the thousands of other pages in the government's possession
that the administration now says it won't release.
Facing outrage after the first release of Epstein files flopped in
February, Bondi said officials were poring over a “truckload” of
previously withheld evidence she said had been handed over by the
FBI. But after a monthslong review of evidence in the government’s
possession, the Justice Department determined that no “further
disclosure would be appropriate or warranted."
The Justice Department has yet to fully explain why none of that
material could be released. It noted in its memo earlier this month
that much of the material was placed under seal by a court to
protect victims and “only a fraction” of it “would have been aired
publicly had Epstein gone to trial.”
Since then, Bondi has largely refused to answer questions from
reporters about the matter.
Congress' Epstein files resolution carries no legal weight
House Republicans may vote next week on a resolution that seeks to
appease GOP demands for more transparency on the Epstein case. The
resolution calls on the Justice Department to publicly release
records, but it carries no legal force.
“The House Republicans are for transparency, and they’re looking for
a way to say that they agree with the White House," House Speaker
Mike Johnson said Thursday. “We agree with the president. Everything
he said about that, all the credible evidence should come out.”
Democrats, with the support of nine Republicans, have advanced their
own legislation that would require the Justice Department to release
more information about the case.
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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to
this report.
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