By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and LARRY NEUMEISTER, Related Press
The lawsuit was filed in federal court docket in Miami. It seeks no less than $10 billion in damages.
The letter revealed by The Wall Road Journal was reportedly collected by disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell as a part of a birthday album for Epstein years earlier than the rich financier was first arrested in 2006 and subsequently had a falling-out with Trump.
The outlet described the contents of the letter however didn’t publish a photograph exhibiting it totally or present particulars on the way it got here to study it.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows under.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Division requested a federal court docket on Friday to unseal grand jury transcripts in Jeffrey Epstein’s case on the path of President Donald Trump amid a firestorm over the administration’s dealing with of data associated to the rich financier.
The transfer — coming a day after a Wall Road Journal story put a highlight on Trump’s relationship with Epstein — seeks to include a rising controversy that has engulfed the administration because it introduced that it might not be releasing extra authorities information from Epstein’s intercourse trafficking case.
Deputy Legal professional Common Todd Blanche filed motions urging the court docket to unseal the Epstein transcripts in addition to these within the case towards British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of luring teenage ladies to be sexually abused by Epstein. Epstein killed himself in 2019 shortly after his arrest whereas awaiting trial.
The Justice Division’s announcement that it might not be making public any extra Epstein information enraged elements of Trump’s base partly as a result of members of his personal administration had hyped the anticipated launch and stoked conspiracies across the well-connected financier.
Trump denied writing the letter, calling it “false, malicious, and defamatory” and promised to sue. Trump mentioned he spoke to each to the paper’s proprietor, Rupert Murdoch, and its high editor, Emma Tucker, and informed them the letter was “fake.”
“These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures,” the president wrote on social media.
The Justice Division mentioned within the court docket filings that it’ll work with with prosecutors in New York to make applicable redactions of victim-related data and different personally figuring out data earlier than transcripts are launched.
“Transparency in this process will not be at the expense of our obligation under the law to protect victims,” Blanche wrote.
However regardless of the brand new push to launch the grand jury transcripts, the administration has not introduced plans to reverse course and launch different proof in its possession. Legal professional Common Pam Bondi had hyped the discharge of extra supplies after the primary Epstein information disclosure in February sparked outrage as a result of it contained no new revelations.
A choose must approve the discharge of the grand jury transcripts, and it’s more likely to be a prolonged course of to resolve what can grow to be public and to make redactions to guard delicate witness and sufferer data.
The data would present testimony of witnesses and different proof that was introduced by prosecutions throughout the secret grand jury proceedings, when a panel decides whether or not there may be sufficient proof to carry an indictment, or a proper felony cost.
Neumeister reported from New York.
Initially Revealed: July 18, 2025 at 5:40 PM EDT
