President Donald Trump attempted Friday to control the storm triggered by a bombshell report on his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, ordering the Justice Department to seek the release of testimony from the prosecution of the late, alleged sex-trafficker-to-the-famous.
Trump also vowed to sue "the ass off" The Wall Street Journal and its owner Rupert Murdoch after the newspaper said that in 2003 the future president wrote a suggestive letter to Epstein, illustrated with a naked woman and referring to their shared "secret."
"I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department would ask a court to unseal grand jury testimony from the case against Epstein, apparently in hopes of dampening fury among many of Trump's most loyal supporters over what they see as a White House cover-up.
However, when asked by reporters in the White House whether he would push for the release of more Epstein-related documents, Trump did not answer.
Epstein, a financier, was found hanging dead in his cell in New York in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited dozens of underage girls at his homes in New York and Florida.
The case sparked conspiracy theories, especially among Trump's far-right voters, about an alleged international cabal of wealthy pedophiles. Epstein's death -- declared a suicide -- before he could face trial super-charged the narrative.
When Trump returned to power for a second term this January, his supporters clamored for revelations about Epstein's supposed list of clients. But Bondi issued an official memo in July declaring that there was no such list. The discontent in Trump's MAGA, or Make America Great Again, base poses a rare challenge to the 79-year-old Republican's control of the political narrative in America.
It remained unclear whether a court would authorize the unsealing of what is usually highly secret grand jury testimony.
Even if such material were made public, it was also unclear whether it would shed much, if any, light on the main questions raised in the conspiracy theories -- particularly the existence and possible contents of an Epstein client list. Trump was friends with Epstein and the two were photographed and videoed together at parties over the years, although there has never been evidence shown of wrongdoing.
The Wall Street Journal article published late Thursday was damaging because it indicated a shared interest in sex. The Journal reported that Trump had wished Epstein a happy 50th birthday in 2003 with a letter featuring a hand-drawn naked woman and referring to their "secrets." The letter was reportedly among a slew of well-wishes from other rich and well-known figures for a birthday album. AFP
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