The Department of Justice (DOJ) followed through on President Donald Trump’s request on Friday and filed a motion for the grand jury files related to the 2019 indictment of disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to be released.
Signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the motion comes amid a frenzied media storm and calls for transparency regarding the Epstein files, fueled by the release of a memo from the DOJ and FBI earlier this month, which refuted various conspiracy theories that continue to loom large. There are also persistent questions about the history of Trump and Epstein’s relationship, as the two previously socialized.
Trump spoke out about the grand jury request once more via Truth Social on Saturday morning.
“I have asked the Justice Department to release all grand jury testimony with respect to Jeffrey Epstein, subject only to court approval,” he said. “With that being said, and even if the court gave its full and unwavering approval, nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request. It will always be more, more, more.”
Trump’s instruction regarding the grand jury files is unlikely to settle the calls for more transparency, as he has not ordered the release of the DOJ files pertaining to Epstein, which are the documents that many—including prominent voices within the MAGA community—are eager to see.
Trump has strongly defended Bondi as she continues to come under fire for not releasing the Epstein files in full. There are long-standing calls to see a so-called “client list” supposedly belonging to Epstein. (Although the recently-released memo reports there’s no evidence such a list exists.) Bondi’s previous release of some files were heavily redacted and informed the public of little they had not learned before, prompting wide backlash.
A letter sent on Friday by Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to the heads of the DOJ and FBI also alleges that the FBI instructed agents to “flag” any mention of Trump while reviewing files related to Epstein earlier this year.
Following the Trump Administration’s request for the release of the Epstein grand jury records, here’s what you need to know about what happens next.
What is a grand jury and why are the files sealed?
A grand jury consists of 16-23 jurors, according to the U.S. Courts. A grand jury “focuses on preliminary criminal matters only” and seeks to determine whether there is enough “probable cause” to indict an individual under investigation for a crime. Grand jury proceedings are usually kept sealed to protect the safety of individuals investigated who, it may turn out, will not be charged with any crime. The private proceedings are also used to ensure the safety of witnesses who provide testimonies.
“Secrecy prevents those under scrutiny from fleeing or importuning the grand jurors, encourages full disclosure by witnesses, and protects the innocent from unwarranted prosecution, among other things,” reads an explanation by Congress.
Congress also notes that grand jury proceedings have, on occasion, been unsealed for matters of public interest. In 2018, a D.C. court ruled to unseal certain dockets related to independent counsel Ken Starr’s investigation into former President Bill Clinton’s relationship with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
Read More: Why Trump Can’t Put Out the Epstein Fire He Helped Ignite
Why has the Department of Justice made a motion to unseal the grand jury transcripts?
The DOJ’s motion follows mass calls—from both within and outside Trump’s MAGA base—for transparency around the investigation into Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Tensions were exacerbated on Thursday when the Wall Street Journal published an article claiming that in 2003, Trump wrote a birthday letter for Epstein which included a drawing of a naked woman and the signature “Donald.” The article claimed the letter included the note: “Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump has called the letter false, saying he “[doesn’t] draw pictures.” He has responded by suing the Journal’s publisher Dow Jones and NewsCorp’s owner Rupert Murdoch.
“We have just filed a powerhouse lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing the false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS ‘article’ in the useless ‘rag’ that is, the Wall Street Journal,” Trump said on Friday evening. “This historic legal action is being brought against the so-called authors of this defamation, the now fully disgraced WSJ, as well as its corporate owners and affiliates, with Rupert Murdoch and Robert Thomson (whatever his role is) at the top of the list.”
Meanwhile, the grand jury-related motion filed on Friday calls for the Epstein documents to be unsealed due to the “public interest” that shows no signs of waning, though it says that they will continue to redact “victim-related and other personal identifying information” from said documents.
The request also called for the release of transcripts related to the indictment and conviction of former British socialite—and Epstein’s right-hand—Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.
“[T]his Court should conclude that the Epstein and Maxwell cases qualify as a matter of public interest, release the associated grand jury transcripts, and lift any preexisting protective orders,” the motion reads.
Who decides whether the grand jury files are released and how long could it be until a decision is reached?
According to Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the secrecy of grand jury proceedings is generally protected, but there are authorized disclosures of certain documents if it is deemed to be legally justifiable.
The request must now be approved with permission of the federal court responsible for overseeing the criminal case, and since both Maxwell and Epstein’s cases were in New York City, it will likely be a New York-based federal judge who receives the request for the files to be released.
The scope of the grand jury testimonials is unclear, and as the DOJ noted in its motion, the courts will have to consider the privacy of victims named in the testimony and will need to consult with any uncharged people named. All in all, the process could take weeks, months, or longer.
Read More: White House Tries to End Trump’s Role in Epstein Saga, Nixes Calls For Special Prosecuto
How has the Department of Justice previously argued against the release of the Epstein files?
There have long been efforts to gain access to sealed documents related to the Epstein case. In 2017, entertainment website Radar Online sued the FBI for sealed documents related to the case under the Freedom of Information Act.
Career federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, filed a declaration in 2024 in which she argued that the Epstein documents could “reasonably be expected to interfere” with Maxwell’s pending appeal, since it could impact multiple aspects of the case. Following this declaration, a Federal District Court upheld the secrecy for the majority of the files.
Comey was fired earlier this week as a U.S. federal prosecutor, after serving as one of the lead prosecutors in the cases against Epstein and Maxwell, as well as in the recent trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs. Some lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California, have raised questions over Comey’s firing.
