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US Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared in Justice Department documents concerning Jeffrey Epstein, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal based on senior administration officials.
The White House immediately labeled the report as “fake news.” Reuters could not independently verify the Journal’s story.
The Justice Department allegedly determined in early July that there was no justification to continue pursuing the case of Epstein, and this angered supporters of Trump who keep calling for complete disclosure about Epstein’s association with high-profile figures.
In a statement released Wednesday, Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, “Nothing in the files justified further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a motion in court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts. As part of our standard briefing, we informed the President of the results.”
Trump has not been charged with any crime in connection with Epstein.
The briefing follows after a South Florida federal judge denied a DOJ request to unseal transcripts of grand juries from Epstein’s previous legal cases. The request was in relation to 2005 and 2007 investigations.
Judge Robin Rosenberg declared that the DOJ’s motion did not fulfill any legal exceptions to the strict secrecy of grand juries.
Even with the Florida ruling, the Justice Department continues to have pending motions to unseal comparable transcripts in Manhattan federal court, related to subsequent charges against Epstein and his former business partner Ghislaine Maxwell.
The decision to release additional material is part of continued efforts by the DOJ within the Trump administration to demonstrate openness in the high-profile case, albeit with legal obstacles still ahead.
