Judge Denies Trump Request to Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts
A federal judge in Florida has rejected a Trump administration request to release grand jury transcripts from the Jeffrey Epstein case.
U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg said she could not authorize the release.
“Eleventh Circuit [federal appeals court] law does not permit this Court to grant the Government’s request; the Court’s hands are tied—a point the Government concedes,” she wrote in a 12-page opinion, Fox News reported.
The Trump administration had pushed for the transcripts to be unsealed from Florida grand jury proceedings tied to the original federal investigation into Epstein.
The effort was part of a broader call for transparency around Epstein’s sex trafficking network. The grand juries in question were held in 2005 and 2007.
That investigation ultimately ended with Epstein pleading guilty to state charges and serving 13 months in jail, after federal prosecutors agreed not to pursue federal sex trafficking charges.
In a separate courtroom Wednesday, a second judge denied a similar request from Epstein’s convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell’s lawyers asked for access to the Florida grand jury records to respond to an ongoing judicial review concerning possible public release.
Judge Paul Engelmayer denied the request, saying there was “no compelling reason for that.”
“There is no justification for Maxwell to obtain the extraordinary relief of plenary access to the grand jury transcripts in her case,” the judge said.
However, Engelmayer said the government must produce the transcripts to the court by July 28.
He said the court would review them “expeditiously” and that if any part of the transcripts would benefit from input by Maxwell’s legal team, the court would share that portion with them. Wednesday’s ruling was the first official roadblock in President Donald Trump’s push to declassify Epstein case files.
Last week, Trump said Attorney General Pam Bondi had been instructed to seek the release of grand jury transcripts “because of the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein.”
The administration has also filed a request in Manhattan federal court seeking to unseal grand jury records from Epstein’s 2019 indictment and the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche submitted that motion, citing a public interest in understanding the full scope of the case.
Earlier this month, the DOJ and FBI released a joint memo outlining the results of an “exhaustive review” of all Epstein-related investigative files.
That internal review found no new evidence that would justify charging any other unindicted individuals.
Epstein was 66 years old when he was indicted in New York in 2019. He died by suicide in his jail cell just weeks later.
The Department of Justice confirmed Tuesday it has reached out to Ghislaine Maxwell for a meeting, amid growing backlash over the administration’s handling of the Epstein case.
“Justice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know?” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a post on X. “At @AGPamBondi’s direction, I’ve contacted her counsel. I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits,” CNN reported.
In a separate statement posted by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Blanche added, “If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.”
Maxwell’s attorney confirmed to CNN that they are “in discussions with the government.”
“Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,” attorney David Oscar Markus said.
President Trump said Tuesday he wasn’t aware of the DOJ’s outreach but supported it.
“I didn’t know that they were going to do it. I don’t really follow that too much. It’s sort of a witch hunt,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Still, he praised Blanche and said the move “sounds appropriate.”
