PALM BEACH, Florida − Amid a firestorm of controversy after the Justice Department's recent announcement that it would not be releasingJeffrey Epstein documents, Attorney GeneralPam Bondifiled a motion July 18 in New York federal court, seeking the release of grand jury transcripts for the indictments of Epstein in July 2019 and his associateGhislaine Maxwellin June 2020. PresidentDonald Trumpdirected Bondi to seek the release after MAGA supporters called for more transparency in the case and a report by the Wall Street Journal describinga bawdy letter from Trump to Epsteinfor Epstein's 50th birthday. The transcripts of the 2006 Jeffrey Epstein Florida state grand jury that resulted in only a solicitation of prostitution charge against him are already public, thanks to a lawsuit by The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network − but it took nearly five years to get them released. More:Trump's on a roll. Why isn't he smiling? Answer: Jeffrey Epstein The Post's case is cited in the petitions to make the federal indictments public, filed in both the Epstein and Maxwell criminal cases. The newspaper had sued after learning in a 2019 investigation thatprosecutors had tanked their own caseduring the secret proceeding. Circuit Judge Luis Delgado released the 176-page transcript on July 1, 2024. On the day The Post published its investigation, the newspaper sued to lift the veil of secrecy for the public and for the survivors. The following document shows the stunning details of the proceeding, including the prosecutor telling the only two victims who testified that they themselves were criminals. Jeffrey Epstein secret transcripts:Victim was asked, Do you know 'you committed a crime?' Hear Palm Beach Post Investigations Editor Holly Baltz discuss what the transcripts reveal (at 8:10): More:Could Pam Bondi have prosecuted Jeffrey Epstein when she was Florida's top legal officer? This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Read the 2006 Florida grand jury transcripts in Jeffrey Epstein case
