President Trump’s ordered to Attorney General Pam Bondi to “produce any and all pertinent grand jury testimony” after the Wall Street Journal published a story detailing a provocative birthday card Trump allegedly gave Epstein for his 50th birthday.
The Justice Department must now persuade a federal judge to lift strict secrecy rules before anything is released.
If successful, here’s what we may see — and what we definitely won’t.
We May See: The Jurisdictional Basics
Expect confirmation of which grand juries are covered—the 2006 Palm Beach (state) panel, the 2019 Southern District of New York (federal) panel that indicted Epstein, and the 2020 panel that charged Ghislaine Maxwell. Dates, venue and the statutes considered are typically the least controversial portions a court will unseal.
We May See: A Clean, Chronological Narrative
Courts sometimes allow a redacted transcript “road map” that walks through the government’s theory of the case in order: recruitment of victims, key flights, financial transfers and Maxwell’s alleged facilitation role. Do not expect raw exhibits, but references to them could outline the scope of evidence.
We May See: Sanitized Witness Testimony
Names of already public witnesses (e.g., pilots, house managers, FBI agents) often survive redaction. Their sworn statements—stripped of personal identifiers for minors—could highlight discrepancies with what those same witnesses later said in civil suits or at Maxwell’s 2022 trial, giving reporters new angles.
We May See: Plea‑Deal and Immunity Negotiations
Because Epstein’s 2008 non‑prosecution agreement was hotly litigated, judges may deem it “already public.” If prosecutors or defense lawyers discussed the deal before the grand jury, sanitized portions could appear, clarifying who received immunity and why..
We Will NOT See: Identifying Details of Minors
Under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act and longstanding practice, all names, addresses, medical details and photographs of under‑age victims will be black‑boxed. Any exhibits containing child abuse material will remain permanently sealed.
We Will NOT See: Ongoing Investigative Leads
If prosecutors flagged tips or targets that never ripened into charges—so‑called “matters occurring before the grand jury”—those passages remain protected so as not to compromise future probes. Both federal Rule 6(e) and Florida Statute 905.27 carve out this safeguard.
We Will NOT See: A Definitive “Client List”
The Justice Department’s July memo said no incriminating client roster exists and that prior reviews “found no basis” to revisit the matter; expect the transcripts to reflect that conclusion or be silent rather than unveil lurid new names.
We Will NOT See: Sensitive Security Footage or Prison Records
Materials tied to Epstein’s 2019 jail death—including cell‑block video, guard logs or autopsy photos—were never presented to the charging grand juries and fall outside the scope of Trump’s order. They remain governed by separate FOIA litigation and privacy laws.
We May See: Redacted Reference Lists (Flight Logs, Phone Books)
Courts sometimes allow partial release of exhibit indices—short descriptions of seized documents that can confirm the existence of, say, a flight manifest dated March 5, 2003, without showing every passenger name. That would help journalists match up already leaked logs to official evidence.
What Happens Next
Bondi must file a motion outlining exactly why disclosure outweighs secrecy; interested parties (victims, Maxwell’s lawyers, even media groups) can object. Appeals could delay release for months. Even if a judge agrees, expect a highly redacted PDF—not an “Epstein files” dump.
FWIW, the prediction market Kalshi forecasts a 55% chance that new Epstein files will be released this year.
