Trump orders release of Epstein grand jury testimony

The US President made the order after The Wall Street Journal published a story about an off-colour letter he allegedly wrote to the disgraced financier.

Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump. Picture: Getty Images

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Donald Trump has ordered the release of grand jury testimony relating to Jeffrey Epstein, as he threatened to sue News Corp and The Wall Street Journal over a story about an off-colour letter the President allegedly wrote to the disgraced financier.

The Journal story, which quickly reverberated around Washington, says the note to Epstein bearing Mr Trump’s signature was part of a collection of notes for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003. The newspaper says it reviewed the letter but did not print an image.

The Journal reports that this letter and others are among the documents examined by Justice Department officials who investigated Epstein and Maxwell years ago.

The documents, the so-called Epstein files, and who or what is in them are at the centre of a storm consuming the presidency, amid claims Mr Trump’s administration is covering up lurid details of Epstein’s crimes to protect rich and powerful figures.

On Wednesday, after angry comments about how the files are a hoax created by Democrats, President Trump lashed out at his own supporters for refusing to let the matter go.

On Friday (AEST), Mr Trump announced on his Truth Social platform: “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. This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!”

The announcement came shortly after he claimed he had told the Journal the alleged letter was “a fake”.

According to the WSJ, the letter contains several lines of typewritten text, contained in an outline of a naked woman drawn with a marker.

“The future president’s signature is a squiggly ‘Donald’ below her waist, mimicking pubic hair,” the Journal reported.

“The letter concludes: ‘Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.’” Mr Trump denied writing the letter or drawing the figure, telling the Journal: “This is not me. This is a fake thing.

“I don’t draw pictures of women,” he said. “It’s not my language. It’s not my words.”

Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 – during Mr Trump’s first term – after being charged with sex trafficking in a scheme where he allegedly groomed young and underage women for sexual abuse by the rich and powerful.

The Trump-supporting far-right has long latched on to the scandal, claiming the existence of a still-secret list of Epstein’s powerful clients and that the late financier was in fact murdered in his cell as part of a cover-up.

The Justice Department and FBI said in a memo made public this month there was no evidence that the disgraced financier kept a “client list” or was blackmailing powerful figures.

They also dismissed the claim Epstein was murdered in jail, confirming his suicide, and said they would not be releasing any more information on the probe.

On Thursday, several US media outlets reported that a federal prosecutor who handled Epstein’s case, who is the daughter of a prominent Trump critic, was abruptly fired.

Maurene Comey, whose father is former FBI director James Comey, was dismissed on Wednesday from her position as an assistant US attorney in Manhattan, several major US outlets reported.

Ms Comey also prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell, the only former Epstein associate who has been criminally charged in connection with his activities.

Maxwell is the person who compiled the leather-bound book of letters for Epstein in 2003, the Journal reported.

AFP