President Trump announced Thursday night that he was authorizing Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the public release of grand jury testimony from the prosecution of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, and Ms. Bondi said she would make that request in federal court on Friday.
In a social media post, Mr. Trump, who has been under intense pressure from his right-wing base to reverse the Justice Department’s decision to shut down the Epstein investigation, ordered Ms. Bondi to “produce any and all Grand Jury Testimony, subject to Court approval,” in the inquiry.
He cited “the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein” for his directive, which falls far short of demands from some congressional Republicans to make public all investigative files collected by the department and the F.B.I., not just testimony presented in federal court.
Ms. Bondi, a Trump loyalist who had been accused by far-right influencers of abetting an Epstein cover-up, responded with a post on social media, vowing to comply.
“President Trump — we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts,” she wrote.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
