A federal judge in New York has denied the Trump administration's request to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the case of Jeffrey Epstein, a decision echoed by two other judges who refused similar requests concerning the late financier's sexual abuse investigations. Judge Richard Berman, overseeing the 2019 proceedings, issued the ruling after a Manhattan federal judge dismissed the government's effort to disclose transcripts from the grand jury that indicted Epstein's associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
This decision by Judge Berman appears to effectively close the door on the release of Epstein-related grand jury testimony from federal courts, marking a continuation of a trend where courts are upheld in maintaining grand jury secrecy. A federal judge in Florida had previously declined to release documents from investigations into Epstein in 2005 and 2007, although some state case files were made public last year.
Both Judge Berman and Paul A. Engelmayer, who oversaw Maxwell's case, emphasized in their rulings that the grand jury transcripts do not contain information likely to address the significant public interest surrounding the case. President Donald Trump had publicly advocated for the transcripts' release amidst allegations of his connections to Epstein, but his administration faced backlash after releasing only limited records that yielded no new revelations.
The judges referenced the longstanding rules of grand jury secrecy, determining that the Justice Department did not meet the extraordinary legal requirements needed to justify public disclosure. Notably, Berman indicated that it was the first request for the unsealing of grand jury records based on "special circumstances" since 1973. He also pointed out that the Justice Department possesses over 100,000 pages of investigative materials related to Epstein that do not fall under secrecy rules, emphasizing that the scant 70 pages of grand jury transcripts provided little comparative insight.
Berman remarked that the government's request for the grand jury records appeared to be a diversion from the broader context of Epstein's files that the Justice Department has withheld from public access. According to Berman, the lone witness who testified before the grand jury in 2019 was an FBI agent whose input was primarily based on hearsay, while the rest of the presentation consisted of a PowerPoint and a call log.
In the past year, a Florida judge had unsealed approximately 150 pages of grand jury transcripts that pertained to Epstein's state charges from 2006. Ghislaine Maxwell, known for her connections to Epstein, is currently serving a 20-year sentence following her conviction on sex trafficking charges in 2021 for facilitating Epstein's abuse of underage girls. Recently, she was transferred from a Florida prison to a camp in Texas. Epstein's death in 2019, while awaiting trial, was ruled a suicide.
Amid renewed scrutiny of Maxwell's case, online investigators and conspiracy theorists have expressed outrage over the Justice Department's decision not to release additional documents from the Epstein investigation last month. The Trump administration has sought to project a stance of transparency by requesting that the grand jury transcripts be made public.
Meanwhile, there have been attempts to engage with Maxwell. She was interviewed recently by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and the House Oversight Committee expressed interest in speaking with her. Her legal team stated they would only participate in an interview if granted immunity from prosecution. Committee chair Rep. James Comer has communicated that they are willing to postpone her deposition until after her appeal to the Supreme Court is resolved, expected by late September. He emphasized the importance of Maxwell's testimony for the Republican-led inquiry into Epstein, but noted that the committee would not provide immunity or advance questions.
