A Manhattan federal judge rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to release grand jury testimony in the federal case against late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein Wednesday, calling the effort a “diversion” from the fact the feds haven’t followed through on a promise to release outstanding files on the matter.
US District Judge Richard Berman wrote in a 14-page order that the government failed to demonstrate any “special circumstance” that would permit the unsealing of testimony that led to Epstein’s arrest in July 2019.
Epstein, 66, was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell on Aug. 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Berman’s ruling is the third one issued by three separate judges in a matter of weeks rejecting efforts to unseal grand jury testimony in three Epstein-related cases.
Last week, Manhattan US District Judge Paul Engelmayer similarly denied the feds’ bid to release transcripts in the case of Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking and conspiracy charges in December 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Last month, West Palm Beach US District Judge Robin Rosenberg shot down the Trump administration’s effort to release the grand jury records in Epstein’s child prostitution case that saw him serve 13 months in prison as the result of a wrist-slap 2008 plea deal that saw him serve much of his time on work release.
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The case has generated renewed interest this summer after the Justice Department and FBI released a joint memo July 6 determining the disgraced financier committed suicide and did not keep a “client list” of associates who shared his perverted desire for girls as young as 14 — contrary to widespread speculation.
In his order, Berman noted 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.”
The Trump administration, the judge added, has “committed that it would share its Epstein investigation materials with the public,” making it “the logical party to make comprehensive disclosure to the public of the Epstein files.”
“The instant grant jury motion appears to be a ‘diversion’ from the breadth and scope of the Epstein files in the government’s possession,” Berman wrote.
Berman also warned that the content of the grand jury transcripts could pose a safety and privacy threat to Epstein’s victims.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
