A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday rejected a Trump administration request to unseal grand jury transcripts tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s 2005 and 2007 federal investigations in South Florida.
A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday rejected a Trump administration request to unseal grand jury transcripts tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s 2005 and 2007 federal investigations in South Florida. The move marks the first decision in the administration’s efforts to release more information about the disgraced financier, whose past ties to President Donald Trump have sparked controversy among the MAGA base.
The Justice Department also has pending motions to unseal related materials in Manhattan federal court regarding Epstein’s later indictment alongside his former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg ruled that the Florida request did not meet the strict legal exceptions required to release grand jury materials. “The court’s hands are tied,” Rosenberg wrote, noting the government had not sought the transcripts for use in a judicial proceeding.
She emphasized that district courts are generally barred from unsealing grand jury testimony, except under limited, defined circumstances.
The decision underscores the legal hurdles involved in obtaining secret grand jury materials, even amid political scrutiny.