A federal judge in Florida denied the attempt from President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice to release grand jury transcripts from the investigation into convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg, an Obama appointee, said in a 12-page opinion on Wednesday that she does not have the legal authority to release the transcripts, The Washington Post reported. Last week, at the behest of Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi requested that grand jury testimony be released in both Epstein’s case and the case of his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
“For the reasons set forth below, Eleventh Circuit law does not permit this Court to grant the Government’s request; the Court’s hands are tied—a point that the Government concedes,” Rosenberg’s opinion stated.
The judge added that the Justice Department did not provide sufficient arguments for unsealing records that are protected by rules that “emphasize a presumption of secrecy” and protect participants from disclosing information given to a grand jury.
Rosenberg’s decision does not mark the end of the Trump administration’s attempts to unseal Epstein’s or Maxwell’s grand jury transcripts. The DOJ sent three total requests to judges in Florida and New York seeking to unseal records related to the Epstein investigation, ABC News reported.
The DOJ moved to release the records of witnesses in the case in an effort to address the “extensive public interest” and controversy over the Trump administration’s July 6 memo, concluding that there was no “credible evidence” to prove that Epstein kept a client list or that he blackmailed powerful people who supposedly took part in Epstein’s sex crimes.
A significant portion of Trump’s base, along with some Republican lawmakers, are calling on the administration to be more transparent on the Epstein investigation. Bondi was criticized for her handling of the case after she said earlier this year that she had Epstein’s client list on her desk, but recently clarified that she meant she had the Epstein files on her desk for review.
The DOJ said on Tuesday that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is expected to meet with Maxwell soon and determine if she will provide the Justice Department with any more information on Epstein.
“President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say,” Blanche said.
Republicans in the House are also attempting to get more information on the Epstein investigation and voted on Tuesday in favor of subpoenaing Maxwell to appear for a deposition. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), however, said Monday that lawmakers should give the Trump administration some “space,” and the House is expected to go into its August recess at the end of the week.