A federal judge in the United States turned down a request from the Department of Justice to release transcripts from a grand jury’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a late sex offender.
Florida’s US District Judge Robin Rosenberg made the claim on Wednesday that her hands were “tied” in the situation.
Given the importance of keeping grand jury testimony secret during such complex criminal investigations, it is relatively uncommon.
Judge Rosenberg claimed that the Justice Department’s requests for the transcripts were not fulfilled because there are only a few speculative exceptions to federal criminal law that would permit their release.
The Justice Department’s request, which was one of three, was intended to quell President Donald Trump’s base’s outcry over the absence of recent revelations in the Epstein scandal.
Conspiracy theories are fueled by the Epstein scandal.
Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the trove of documents that were about to be released about Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender whose entourage included prominent individuals in February.
Epstein committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial in New York, igniting rumors that he may have been the victim of a cover-up perpetrated by powerful, shadowy figures.
However, the nearly 200 pages that Bondi and the Justice Department ultimately published didn’t lead to any significant additions. Additionally, it lacked the “client list” that Bondi claimed was “sitting on my desk right now to review,” according to Bondi.
Some of the supporters of President Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) campaigned against the notion that Epstein kept a client list to extort power brokers from the highest levels of government and media.
Even Trump’s appointee to the FBI, Kash Patel, and his second-in-command Dan Bongino, promoted the conspiracy theories, claiming a “black book” or “list” held by the government to support the Epstein rumours.
However, the FBI and the Justice Department have since made an effort to dispel that speculativeness. A joint memorandum denying the existence of such a list was released by the organizations in July.
No corroborating “client list” was found in this thorough analysis. Additionally, Epstein’s actions “were not supported by any compelling evidence” that he blackmailed well-known people.
Trump: a thorough examination
However, that did little to lessen the furor, and scrutiny has since turned to Epstein’s relationship with President Trump.
A report was made available by The Wall Street Journal this month alleging that Trump had delivered an obscene birthday note to Epstein with a message on it. Trump has since sued the newspaper and its parent company, alleging that he has never written or drawn such a birthday message.
The Epstein scandal was continued by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday with an article alleging that the Justice Department had been aware of Trump’s repeated appearances in files involving the sex offender.
The most recent report was described as “another fake news story,” according to White House communications director Steven Cheung.
Trump has previously called for the release of the transcripts from the Epstein grand jury, branding the ongoing scandal a “scam” and “hoax.” Additionally, he disapproved of any supporters who had fabricated the accounts.
Trump wrote on social media on July 16 that “My PAST supporters have bought into this “bull****, “hook, line, and sinker.” Let these Democrats continue to advance and succeed.
Experts claim that the grand jury transcripts are unlikely to reveal all of the evidence in the Epstein case, despite the Justice Department’s claim that the release of the transcripts would be in “extensive public interest.”
Federal grand jury testimony is typically brief, only providing sufficient evidence to convict a defendant.
The transcripts are likely to be “distractions,” according to one former federal prosecutor, Sarah Krissoff.
In an interview that was made public earlier this week, Krissoff claimed that the president is trying to appear as though he is doing nothing.
Democrats want to win.
Democrats have meanwhile attempted to derail Trump’s standing among his supporters by highlighting the persistent inquiries about Epstein.
For instance, Democrats from the Committee for Oversight in the House of Representatives launched a petition to subpoena the Justice Department’s entire Epstein files.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson adjourned the chamber for its six-weekly recess in August to avoid risking a vote to push for further Epstein records.
Democrats saw that as a sign of complicity, much like Representative Summer Lee.
Because they don’t want to vote to release these files, Lee said, “They’re fleeing our work, our job, and sending us back home.”
Source: Aljazeera
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