Federal judge blocks release of Epstein grand jury documents
A US federal judge on Wednesday rejected a request from President Donald Trump’s administration to make public confidential documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, describing the move as a “diversion.”
Judge Richard Berman ruled that the government had failed to show exceptional circumstances that would justify lifting the secrecy surrounding the grand jury proceedings, which are normally protected under US law.
Trump, under pressure from critics within his own party who accused him of trying to downplay the scandal, had called in July for the release of “relevant testimonies” connected to Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking of minors. His death, officially declared a suicide, has fueled persistent conspiracy theories suggesting that powerful figures sought to silence him.
Judge Berman emphasized that the government already holds more than 100,000 pages of Epstein-related records, far exceeding the 70 pages produced by the grand jury. He argued that the administration itself was in the best position to provide transparency, but its selective request to release only grand jury testimonies appeared to be a political tactic. The judge also warned that revealing such documents could endanger the privacy and safety of more than 1,000 victims involved in the case.
The ruling comes shortly after another federal judge rejected a separate bid to unseal documents related to Epstein’s former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Maxwell was scheduled to testify before a congressional committee earlier this month, but the hearing has been postponed indefinitely.
Other high-profile figures, including former president Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have also been summoned to provide testimony about their ties to Epstein.
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