WASHINGTON DC: A U.S. judge has rejected a request to unseal grand jury documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The ruling, issued by Judge Robin Rosenberg, cited Florida state law and federal rules on grand jury secrecy as the basis for denying the release, according to BBC.
The petition to unseal the files came as the Trump administration faced growing scrutiny over its handling of Epstein-related materials. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that former President Donald Trump’s name appears among hundreds mentioned in Justice Department documents related to the Epstein investigation.
The White House dismissed the article as “fake news” created by political opponents and the media. The BBC has not independently verified the claims.
According to the Journal, Justice Department officials had previously told Trump that the documents contained unverified information, including gossip about individuals who had socialized with Epstein.
Some of the records were said to include sensitive content such as victim identities and child pornography, which could not be made public.
Despite this, Trump had instructed former Attorney General Pam Bondi to push for the release of the grand jury material, prompting the Justice Department to request courts in both Florida and New York to authorize disclosure.
However, in her 12-page ruling, Judge Rosenberg stated that the court is bound by strict legal standards and that the arguments presented — such as the public’s interest and need for transparency — did not meet the criteria for overriding grand jury confidentiality. The materials in question date back to a 2006 Florida case in which Epstein was charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Rosenberg also declined to transfer the matter to New York, where two separate judges are still reviewing similar requests related to Epstein’s 2019 federal sex-trafficking case. She did, however, allow for the possibility of reopening the matter, permitting lawyers to file new arguments for why the files should be made public.
The judge’s decision coincided with reports that Trump had been briefed in May by the Justice Department about the presence of his name in the Epstein-related documents. When asked about this, Trump denied receiving any detailed information and referred to a brief update from Bondi.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung and the Justice Department both rejected the report, calling it false and misleading.
Meanwhile, renewed attention has turned to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in trafficking young girls.
A senior Justice Department official is expected to meet with Maxwell to discuss what she knows about the case. She has also been subpoenaed to testify remotely before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on 11 August.
Her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, told the BBC that Maxwell is approaching the process cautiously and has not yet decided whether to testify or invoke her right to remain silent. House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed skepticism about her credibility, citing her conviction and criminal history.
Although Trump had pledged during his campaign to make Epstein-related files public, Bondi clarified earlier this month that there is no incriminating “client list” implicating high-profile individuals. She also confirmed the Justice Department’s conclusion that Epstein died by suicide, despite ongoing conspiracy theories about his death. Bondi had earlier promised that new information—including names and flight logs—would soon be disclosed.
(Inputs from BBC)
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