Justice Department asks court to unseal grand jury testimony in Jeffrey Epstein case

The Justice Department on Friday afternoon formally asked a federal judge to unseal grand jury testimony related to the prosecution of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, fulfilling President Donald Trump's directive on Thursday.

Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to file the request in a Truth Social post, where he criticized the news media for its focus on the administration's handling of the Epstein case. Bondi vowed to do so.

The Justice Department claimed in its filing that the release of the additional information in the case was "a matter of public interest."

“The public’s interest in the Epstein matter has remained," the filing reads. "Given this longstanding and legitimate interest, the government now moves to unseal grand jury transcripts associated with Epstein." 

The department said it will file a similar motion in the case against former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, CNN reported, though Trump did not direct the publication of testimony in her case.

The Trump administration has faced heavy backlash for its handling of the case, particularly related to the late financier's alleged "client list," which the administration says does not exist. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.