The Trump administration has formally requested two federal judges unseal grand jury testimony from the cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Late Tuesday, prosecutors argued the "abundant public interest" justifies releasing transcripts, citing widespread scrutiny of how authorities handled the investigations. The filings respond to judges Richard Berman and Paul Engelmayer, who earlier demanded stronger legal justification for unsealing.
In a key disclosure, the Justice Department acknowledged only law enforcement witnesses testified before the grand juries. For Epstein’s 2019 indictment, a single FBI agent testified. For Maxwell’s 2020–2021 proceedings, the same agent and an NYPD detective provided evidence. Prosecutors noted most victim accounts summarized in the testimony were later detailed publicly during Maxwell’s 2021 trial or civil lawsuits. This reduces expectations of new revelations, though redactions would protect victim identities.
The move follows intense backlash from Trump’s supporters after the DOJ announced no "Epstein client list" exists and reaffirmed Epstein’s 2019 jail death as suicide. Conservatives allege a cover-up of Epstein’s elite connections. Simultaneously, Senate Democrats invoked the obscure "rule of five" law to compel broader document releases by August 15, accusing Trump of reneging on transparency pledges.
Grand jury records rarely become public, and a Florida judge recently rejected a similar request for Epstein’s 2005–2007 probes. The transcripts would exclude unsubstantiated leads or witness interviews never presented to grand juries. Meanwhile, Deputy AG Todd Blanche interviewed Maxwell last week about "100 different people," though outcomes remain undisclosed. Trump also remarked this week that Epstein "stole" staff from Mar-a-Lago, including victim Virginia Giuffre.