For the third time, a Democrat-appointed federal judge has handed the Department of Justice a defeat in its bid to release grand jury transcripts concerning Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Epstein was charged with sex trafficking when he died in August 2019. Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021.
Last month, President Donald Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to have information related to Epstein disclosed after a firestorm of anger erupted when the Justice Department said there was no Epstein client list, as Bondi had previously indicated existed, and that no further information would be forthcoming.
The Justice Department filed for the release of grand jury transcripts in Epstein’s 2019 case, which never went to trial, Maxwell’s 2021 trial, and the 2005 and 2007 investigations into Epstein.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman ruled against releasing the transcripts of the grand jury that indicted Epstein.
Berman was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, according to Politico.
In his ruling, Berman said if the government wants information on Epstein released, it should release what it already had.
“The information contained in the Epstein grand jury transcripts pales in comparison to the Epstein investigation information and materials in the hands of the Department of Justice,” he wrote.
“A significant and compelling reason to reject the Government’s position in this litigation is that the Government has already undertaken a comprehensive investigation into the Epstein case and, not surprisingly, has assembled a ‘trove’ of Epstein documents, interviews, and exhibits. And, the Government committed that it would share its Epstein investigation materials with the public,” Berman wrote.
Should the Epstein files be released?
“The Government is the logical party to make comprehensive disclosure to the public of the Epstein Files,” Berman wrote, saying it has an estimated 100,000 pages of information on Epstein in its possession against 70 pages of grant jury material.
Berman said that the Justice Department did not provide any compelling argument that the secrecy surrounding grand jury proceedings should be breached in this case, writing, “The government fails to identify any special circumstance which might justify Unsealing.”
The judge also said “possible threats to victims’ safety and privacy” contributed to his decision not to release the material.
Earlier this month, District Court Judge Paul Engelmayer rejected the Justice Department’s effort to make public the transcripts of Maxwell’s grand jury sessions, as noted by CBS.
Engelmayer was appointed by former President Barack Obama.
Previously, U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg in Florida rejected a Justice Department request to allow transcripts from 2005 and 2007 grand juries that investigated Epstein to be made public, according to The Washington Post.
As noted by Politico, Rosenberg was appointed by Obama.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has subpoenaed the Justice Department’s Epstein files, and the panel said the Justice Department is complying.
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