In a bid to quell mounting public uproar, President Donald Trump’s administration has asked two judges to unseal grand jury testimony tied to the sex trafficking indictments of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
In late-night filings Tuesday, U.S. federal prosecutors said releasing the records was warranted due to the "abundant public interest" surrounding Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in jail, and Maxwell, the British socialite serving a prison sentence.
Trump, a Republican, had vowed to declassify Epstein-related files if reelected and accused Democrats of orchestrating a cover-up. Earlier this month, however, the Justice Department said a long-rumored Epstein client list does not exist – a revelation that sparked backlash among some of Trump’s supporters.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and fellow Democrats cited a century-old statute to demand the release of a broad set of Epstein-related documents while pledging to protect victims' privacy.
Asked whether the July 29 letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi included the release of grand jury transcripts, Schumer told reporters, “Well, that will have to be litigated.”
It was unclear whether the Justice Department would respond by the Aug. 15 deadline set by Democrats.
The DOJ first sought court permission on July 18 to make public transcripts of confidential testimony given years ago in the two cases. But U.S. District Judges Richard Berman and Paul Engelmayer, both based in Manhattan, asked the government to further explain the legal basis for the request.
Trump has faced pressure to release documents from federal investigations into Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, and Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021.
Even if one or both judges allow the transcripts to be released, it remains unclear whether the public would learn anything new or noteworthy.
In the filings, prosecutors said the only witness before Epstein’s grand jury was an FBI agent. That same agent and a New York Police Department detective were the only witnesses before Maxwell’s grand jury, prosecutors said.
Maxwell’s four-week trial in 2021 included public testimony from alleged sex trafficking victims, associates of Epstein and Maxwell, and law enforcement officers.
She is serving a 20-year prison sentence in Florida and is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn her conviction. She had pleaded not guilty.
The unsealing requests came after Trump this month asked Bondi to seek the release of grand jury transcripts. He did so after the Justice Department said it had concluded that Epstein died by suicide and that there was no incriminating list of his clients.
The announcement angered some of Trump’s conservative supporters, who believe the government is covering up Epstein’s ties to the rich and powerful and suspect he was murdered in jail.
Grand juries are convened by prosecutors and meet in secret to hear witness testimony and decide whether to indict individuals suspected of crimes. Their proceedings typically remain sealed, with only limited exceptions allowing disclosure.
The transcripts would not include all previously unreleased material in the government’s possession. Investigators and prosecutors often pursue leads they cannot substantiate or interview potential witnesses who ultimately do not testify before a grand jury.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg in Florida denied the administration’s request to unseal records from grand jury probes conducted in 2005 and 2007. The judge ruled that the request did not meet any of the limited exceptions that would allow the release of such material.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to a state prostitution charge in Florida and was sentenced to 13 months in jail under a plea deal now widely criticized as overly lenient.
Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche – a former personal attorney to Trump – met with Maxwell last week to determine whether she had information on other potential offenders. Maxwell’s attorney, David Markus, and Blanche have not released detailed accounts of their discussions.
