World Desk

The U.S. Justice Department has requested a judge to unseal documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following heavy criticism over the Trump administration's handling of the case.

The request involves transcripts from the grand jury that oversaw the government’s 2019 sex trafficking case against Epstein. These materials are generally protected by law and kept confidential.

The court filing came as President Trump launched a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal’s parent company, its owner Rupert Murdoch, and two reporters over a report alleging he sent a “bawdy” personal note to Epstein in 2003.

Trump has dismissed the note—reportedly sent for Epstein’s 50th birthday—as “fake.” On Thursday, he directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue the release of documents tied to Epstein’s confidential grand jury proceedings.

The Justice Department officially made the request in a New York court, arguing that the case—where Epstein was accused of trafficking dozens of girls as young as 14—falls under “a matter of public interest.”

The department is also seeking disclosure of materials connected to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate, who was convicted in the child sex trafficking conspiracy.

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Grand juries—panels that determine whether sufficient evidence exists to indict someone—can hear from secret informants and individuals whose identities are shielded for safety. Normally, grand jury materials remain sealed under law, but a judge can allow them to be unsealed if public interest outweighs the need for secrecy.

However, it remains uncertain when or if the documents will be released, or whether they include the type of details Trump’s supporters have been demanding.

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Also on Friday, Trump filed a $10 billion (£7.5 billion) lawsuit in Miami against Dow Jones, News Corp, and conservative media magnate Rupert Murdoch.

He claims the Wall Street Journal defamed him and violated libel laws in publishing a story that alleged he sent a “bawdy” birthday greeting to Epstein in 2003, before the financier was charged with sex crimes.

“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 posted on social media.

“I hope Rupert and his ‘friends’ are looking forward to the many hours of depositions and testimonies they will have to provide in this case,” he added.

Trump said both the newspaper and Murdoch—who has had a decades-long, on-and-off relationship with him—were warned they would face legal action if they ran the story.

Murdoch, who appeared with Trump at the FIFA World Cup last Sunday, built a media empire credited by many with helping Trump win the presidency.

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According to the Journal, the letter bearing Trump’s name “contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker.”

“Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person,” the paper said.

The message reportedly included a playful reference—“Enigmas never age”—and ended with the phrase: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

Trump, after the article was published Thursday, denied authorship of the note, writing: “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.”

Friday’s developments came amid a rocky week for the president, as even some of his staunchest backers pushed for increased transparency and full public disclosure regarding the Epstein case.

Some of Trump’s loyalists have called for Attorney General Bondi’s resignation after she changed course on releasing certain Epstein-related documents.

Chad Bianco, a Republican sheriff running for California governor, told the BBC that Trump’s handling of the Epstein files was “not what I was expecting,” adding that “millions” of Trump supporters are disillusioned.

“We feel like we’re being talked down to like stupid children.”

Meanwhile, lawmakers in Congress are pushing a “discharge petition” that would compel Bondi to release a broad set of Epstein-related records held by the Justice Department.

The initiative has united unlikely allies, with both Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supporting the effort.

Source: BBC