US judge denies bid to unseal Epstein grand jury records

A federal judge in the United States has denied a request by the Department of Justice to release grand jury testimony from Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case, citing Epstein’s government’s extensive source material.

A judge overseeing the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the deceased sex offender’s former girlfriend, and a key player in his web of abuse, issued a similar decision on Wednesday.

In his opinion, Berman argued that the grand jury transcripts “pales in comparison to the Department of Justice’s Epstein investigative information and materials.”

President Donald Trump’s administration has remained subject to intense scrutiny for its handling of child sex abuser and disgraced financier, with whom Trump had a long and close relationship.

The Epstein grand jury was called by a federal law enforcement agent without “direct knowledge of the facts of the case,” according to the New York judge on Wednesday. A phone log and a PowerPoint presentation were included in the case, according to Berman, which would both remain secret.

While several members of the Trump administration have long been involved in Epstein-related conspiracies and have pledged to release all available information before entering the White House, Trump has publicly reacted to questions about the government’s unwillingness to do so.

After the Justice Department announced last month that it would not release more information about an alleged “Epstein file” involving the sex offender’s clients and associates, it grew even more critical. Several US media outlets reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed him that his name was on the list.