The U.S. Justice Department has once again urged to reveal the grand jury transcripts from the sex trafficking cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. They argued that these transcripts should be made public under the new Epstein Files Transparency Act, recently passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump. The act mandates the government to disclose files related to the late financier and his associate within 30 days of the law being enacted.
The Justice Department, led by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, along with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, emphasized that the transparency act requires the publication of the grand jury and discovery materials in this specific case. They indicated that the materials could be redacted to protect victims’ personal information.
In response to the government’s request, Manhattan federal judges Richard Berman and Paul A. Engelmayer have been asked to expedite rulings on releasing the grand jury documents. Engelmayer has invited Maxwell, Epstein’s victims, and the government to submit their responses by early December, with a prompt ruling expected thereafter.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act compels the Justice Department, FBI, and federal prosecutors to unveil all unclassified documents and investigative materials related to Epstein’s decades-long sexual abuse. Berman, who presided over Epstein’s case in 2019, previously ruled to keep the transcripts sealed, citing the substantial amount of existing investigative materials in the government’s possession.
Furthermore, Engelmayer, who oversaw Maxwell’s 2021 trial, expressed skepticism about the necessity of releasing the grand jury materials, suggesting that it would not provide significant new insights to the public. He cautioned against creating an “illusion” of transparency and emphasized that the materials did not reveal any new incriminating information beyond what was already known about Epstein and Maxwell’s alleged crimes.
