US President Donald Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday to release the grand jury testimony related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, following court approval.

"This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!" Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform, decrying the "ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein."

Shortly after Trump's statement, Bondi said on X that the Justice Department was ready to move the court on Friday to unseal the grand jury transcripts.

Trump wrote Epstein lewd birthday letter, says WSJ

Trump's latest announcement on the Epstein case came shortly after his threats to sue The Wall Street Journal newspaper over a story that the president wrote a crude letter to Epstein.

The letter allegedly featured a drawing of a naked woman — including Trump's signature as part of the drawing — that was part of a collection of notes for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003.

Trump strongly denied writing the note, calling it "false, malicious, and defamatory," and claiming the newspaper ignored his direct denials.

"President Trump will be suing The Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp, and Mr. [Rupert] Murdoch, shortly. The Press has to learn to be truthful, and not rely on sources that probably don't even exist," Trump posted on Truth Social.

Epstein case and Trump's rift with MAGA

The president was already under intense scrutiny for his previous ties to Epstein.

Trump is among several high-profile figures who were once acquainted with Epstein, though he denies ever visiting Epstein's infamous estate in the US Virgin Islands.

Epstein, a wealthy financier, was arrested on child sex trafficking and in conspiracy charges. He died by suicide in jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial. His death sparked numerous conspiracy theories.

During the 2024 election campaign, Trump promised to release files relating to Epstein, but later backtracked, urging his Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters to forget about the files.

Many of Trump's supporters, notably those in the core MAGA movement, are accusing the administration of shielding powerful figures allegedly tied to the case.

The Epstein case is the most prominent rift between Trump and his loyal MAGA base ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Trump has been accused numerous times of sexual assault. In January 2024, a court ordered him to pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll in defamation damages for denying he raped her three decades ago.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko