Topline
President Donald Trump said Saturday his administration’s court request to produce grand jury testimony from the indictment of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will not be “good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request,” placing blame on critics even as members of his own administration and supporter base have pushed for more information and transparency about Epstein and his associates.
Trump made the statement Saturday morning. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Trump blamed “radical left lunatics” in a Truth Social post Saturday morning, saying even if a court grants his administration’s motion to produce the jury testimony, his detractors will want “more, more, more.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche filed the motion Friday in an attempt to satisfy public interest in the release of the so-called Epstein files, though the move does not appear likely to satisfy MAGA supporters and Democrats seeking the public release of the full extent of the files.
It may take months for the motion to produce the testimony documents, assuming the court allows their release in the first place, as several legal hurdles will have to be cleared to do so.
The motion also came after a bombshell report from The Wall Street Journal alleged a sexually suggestive letter sent to Epstein for his 50th birthday album was written and signed by Trump, who called the report a “fake story.”
Trump sued the reporters behind the story, Rupert Murdoch and Dow Jones & Co., the Journal’s publisher, for libel, assault and slander, saying Friday he looked forward to getting Murdoch “to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper.”
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Republicans have been split over Trump’s handling of the Epstein files. "We all deserve to know what’s in the Epstein files, who’s implicated, and how deep this corruption goes," Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.said in a statement this week. House Speaker Mike Johnson said this week he wanted "transparency” around the files, adding “we should put everything out there and let the people decide.” Johnson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., have said Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell should testify before Congress. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., told conservative commentator Benny Johnson a special counsel should be appointed if Trump does not release the full Epstein files. Trump supporter Megyn Kelly said in an appearance on her own show this week there were some right-wing figures “saying ‘no one cares about Jeffrey Epstein,’” adding “that’s just not true.”
The president called his critics “weaklings” on Wednesday and said his “PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bull—-,’ hook, line, and sinker.” Trump said people interested in the files were being prodded by “the Fake News and the success starved Dems,” adding, “I don’t want their support anymore!”
Although the House GOP blocked a Democratic attempt to release the Epstein files this week, Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., later pushed forward with plans to force a vote on the release of the full files. The discharge petition will likely receive the signatures needed to force the vote, Axios reported, noting 10 Republicans are expected to sign it in addition to most if not all Democrats.
Khanna suggested this week the grand jury testimony linked to Epstein’s indictment would not be enough. She said the testimony largely concerns Epstein and Maxwell, not “all the rich and powerful men who abused, assaulted and abandoned young women.” Khanna added “those people are still being protected and by the way, the courts usually don't release grand jury testimony.”
Anger around Trump’s handling of the Epstein files has stirred after he told Fox News last year he would declassify them. More criticism was levied against his administration after Bondi released in February what her office said were “declassified” Epstein records, though she admitted most were “previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity.” Bondi told Fox News a month later the Epstein client list was “sitting on my desk right now” and later claimed she was just referring to all documents related to the Epstein prosecution. More confusion surrounding the client list was sparked when the Justice Department said in July the list did not exist. Trump, who was friends with Epstein before his first arrest, has downplayed increasing interest around the Epstein files, saying the late sex offender’s case was “pretty boring stuff” and that “only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.”
Trump Says He Doesn’t Understand Interest In ‘Boring’ Epstein Files: Here’s A Timeline Of Events (Forbes)