Judge declines to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts in Florida
A federal judge in Florida on Wednesday declined the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts from a probe into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
“The Court’s hands are tied — a point that the government concedes,” wrote U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg.
The Justice Department last week asked Rosenberg to release the documents stemming from federal investigations in Florida in 2005 and 2007, court papers show.
The request cited “extensive public interest” in Epstein’s case since the agency made public its determination that Epstein did not have a “client list” and died by suicide in a New York City prison in 2019 while awaiting trial — findings that have infuriated some of Trump’s most fervent supporters.
The decision thwarts Trump’s efforts to tamp down criticism from his political base for now but does not affect the administration's other pending requests to release grand jury transcripts tied to later federal investigations of Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislane Maxwell, in New York.
Rosenberg determined that the government’s request to unseal the documents did not amount to any exceptions to the rules that require grand jury material to stay secret. She noted that appellate court precedent bars her from ordering the release of records in instances not covered by the exceptions.
“The Court cannot grant a request for disclosure unless one of the five exceptions...applies,” she wrote.
The Justice Department also asked the judge to transfer the case to the Southern District of New York, where its other pending requests are. Rosenberg denied that request, as well, closing the case in which the government’s request was made while ordering the creation of a new case to retain the request and her denial.
The judges overseeing the Trump administration’s bid to unseal other grand jury information in New York set schedules for briefing the matter Tuesday, ordering the government to turn over the sealed grand jury material and make more detailed arguments by July 29. Submissions from Maxwell, Epstein’s representatives and victims are due Aug. 5.
They promised to rule “expeditiously” afterward.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has taken the lead so far on the effort. The lawyer representing Maxwell, David Oscar Markus, is a friend.
“Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government,” Blanche said in a statement Tuesday. “That changes now.”
Markus confirmed that talks were underway to see if Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison term for helping Epstein carry out his sex trafficking scheme, would speak with DOJ prosecutors about her knowledge.
He said Maxwell would “always testify truthfully” and expressing gratitude to Trump for his “commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.”
One of the federal judges in New York, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, on Wednesday denied Maxwell's request for access to the grand jury transcripts in her case, calling it "black-letter law" that defendants are typically not allowed to view that material.
Epstein’s death has long captivated conspiracists, who have for years claimed the government is covering up the truth about the convicted sex-offender's ties to prominent public figures.
Updated 3:31 p.m.
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