Attorney General Pam Bondi filed a motion Friday urging a federal judge to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, following a directive from President Donald Trump to increase transparency amid renewed public scrutiny of the case.
The request, filed in federal court in Manhattan, asks Judge Richard M. Berman—the same judge who oversaw Epstein’s case until his 2019 jailhouse death—to approve the unsealing of the records, with redactions to protect victims’ identities.
“Transparency to the American public is of the utmost importance to this Administration,” Bondi wrote in the filing alongside Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Given the public interest in the investigative work conducted by the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation into Epstein, the Department of Justice moves the Court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts.”
The DOJ pledged to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York to redact any victim-related or personally identifying information prior to public release. “Transparency in this process will not be at the expense of our obligation under the law to protect victims,” the filing emphasized.
The move comes weeks after President Trump directed Bondi to “produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.” It also follows the DOJ’s controversial determination that there is no credible evidence of a so-called “Epstein client list,” and that Epstein died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019.
Despite those findings, public skepticism remains high. A recent Reuters poll found that just 17% of Americans approve of how Trump has handled the Epstein case, with more than two-thirds believing the government is withholding key information. Nevertheless, Trump continues to enjoy overwhelming support from Republicans, who view the renewed scrutiny as a politically motivated smear campaign.
The Trump administration has repeatedly defended its handling of the case. Bondi previously stated she had Epstein’s client list “on her desk,” a comment that drew intense attention. She later clarified that she had the broader case files under review.
President Trump has dismissed the controversy as a “hoax” fueled by political opportunists and media activists. While some critics include former allies, Trump has maintained that no credible link ties him to Epstein’s criminal activities.
Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, is currently appealing her 20-year sentence. Her legal team has claimed that new evidence and procedural errors justify a retrial—an effort likely to intensify calls for the unsealing of related documents.
If Judge Berman grants the DOJ’s request, the release of the grand jury transcripts could mark a significant shift in public access to long-hidden details of the Epstein investigation.