WASHINGTON, July 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the U.S. attorney general to push for the release of grand jury testimony regarding convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
"Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Trump's order to release the transcripts came on the heels of a memo from the FBI and the Department of Justice that said Epstein did not have a client list and did indeed die by suicide.
Soon after, Bondi said on social media, "We are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts."
It remains unclear what material Bondi will push to release, and releasing court transcripts can take some time since it requires a judge's decision.
Epstein was under federal investigation in the 2000s for sex trafficking of minors.
In July 2019, Epstein was arrested and charged with "sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office website.
On Aug. 10, 2019, he was found dead in his prison cell -- a death officially ruled a suicide. Yet in recent weeks, social media has erupted with theories suggesting he may have been killed to prevent him from exposing powerful clients for whom he allegedly procured underage girls. ■
