The US government on Friday filed a motion to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein .

In a filing in Manhattan federal court, the Department of Justice said the criminal cases against Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell are a matter of public interest, justifying the release of associated grand jury transcripts.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department will ask a court to unseal the grand jury transcripts, as Trump's relationship with Epstein came under the spotlight again over an alleged off-colour letter published by the Wall Street Journal.

Trump called the letter a scam and threatened to sue WSJ and its owner Rupert Murdoch .

He has been facing a firestorm over his past relationship with Epstein, as well as claims that his administration is covering up lurid details of Epstein's crimes to protect rich and powerful figures.

Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019, during Trump's first term, after being charged with federal sex trafficking in a scheme where he allegedly groomed young and underage women for sexual abuse by his wealthy contacts.

He was previously required to register as a sex offender in Florida after pleading guilty to two felony prostitution-related charges.

The article in the Journal says the letter featuring a sketch of a naked woman and 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.

"I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn't print this Fake Story," Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.

Trump said in an earlier post WSJ editor-in-chief Emma Tucker "was told directly by (White House press secretary) Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE."

The Republican president called the story "false, malicious, and defamatory."

"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," he wrote on Truth Social late on Thursday.

Shortly after, Bondi said on social media that the Justice Department intended to seek the unsealing of grand jury transcripts in court on Friday.

Whether she would succeed remained uncertain, given the strict secrecy surrounding grand jury transcripts.

"President Trump -- we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts," Bondi wrote.

(With inputs from AFP)

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