On July 18, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to file a motion in federal court to unseal grand jury testimony related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, following President Donald Trump’s directive to release “any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.” This action stems from intense public and political pressure, particularly after a Wall Street Journal report alleged Trump sent Epstein a suggestive birthday letter in 2003, which Trump denounced as “fake” and threatened to sue over. The testimony in question likely pertains to the 2019 federal investigation in the Southern District of New York, where Epstein faced child sex trafficking charges, and possibly the 2006 Florida grand jury investigation that resulted in a controversial non-prosecution agreement. While some Florida transcripts were released in July 2024, detailing Epstein’s crimes against minors, the scope of today’s request remains unclear, as grand jury materials are typically sealed to protect victims and witnesses. Bondi’s motion argues that public interest outweighs secrecy, but a federal judge, potentially Richard M. Berman, must approve the release, a process that could take weeks and may involve redactions to safeguard victim identities.

The grand jury testimony Bondi seeks to unseal is only a fraction of the broader Epstein investigative files held by the Justice Department and FBI, which include flight logs, victim lists, and physical evidence like massage tables and photographs seized from Epstein’s properties. In February 2025, Bondi released approximately 200 pages of documents, including flight logs and victim contacts, but later claimed the FBI withheld thousands more pages, which she described as a “truckload” of additional evidence. The Justice Department’s recent memo stated no “client list” or evidence of Epstein blackmailing prominent individuals exists, disappointing those expecting major revelations. Critics, including Rep. Dan Goldman, argue that the grand jury transcripts alone—likely sworn statements from victims and witnesses in the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases—won’t satisfy demands for full transparency, as they exclude FBI witness interviews, emails, and other investigative materials that could provide deeper context. The 2003 birthday letter, central to recent controversy, is not mentioned in prior evidence logs and is unlikely to appear in the grand jury transcripts, further limiting the scope of today’s potential release.

The push to unseal these transcripts faces significant hurdles, as grand jury secrecy is tightly protected under federal law, and judges may hesitate to release sensitive testimony involving minors or uncharged third parties. Bondi’s earlier promises of a “client list” and “tens of thousands” of videos fueled speculation, but the Justice Department later clarified that much of the unreleased material includes child sexual abuse imagery, complicating public disclosure. The move to release testimony appears partly as a response to backlash from Trump’s base, who felt misled by Bondi’s initial claims, and as a counter to the Wall Street Journal’s report, which Trump alleges was a defamatory fabrication by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. While supporters like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene praise the effort, others, including Rep. Thomas Massie, demand the full investigative files, not just transcripts. If approved, the release could shed light on victim accounts and Epstein’s operations but is unlikely to resolve persistent conspiracy theories or fully satisfy calls for transparency, given the limited nature of grand jury records compared to the broader investigative archive.