A US judge has ruled that unsealing grand jury transcripts from the criminal proceedings against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell would not yield significant new information, undermining expectations that the documents would expose details about the sex-trafficking network and its links to powerful figures.
Manhattan federal court judge Paul Engelmayer rejected the Department of Justice's request to release the transcripts, stating that only two law enforcement officers testified during the grand jury proceedings. “Insofar as the motion to unseal implies that the grand jury materials are an untapped mine lode of undisclosed information about Epstein or Maxwell or confederates, they definitively are not that,” Engelmayer said. He added that anyone expecting new information would “come away feeling disappointed and misled”.
Attention now turns to other investigative documents on Epstein that remain under wraps. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani noted that Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have the legal authority to release these files. “They hold the key,” he said. “With a stroke of their pen, they can release the Epstein files.” However, Rahmani expressed scepticism about whether the administration would act, given the time that has passed since Trump took office.
Victims’ advocates have called for full disclosure. Spencer Kuvin, a lawyer representing multiple Epstein victims, said: “The current administration has the power to release everything by merely signing an executive order. Instead of trying to help victims and expose sexual predators, they are more worried about protecting their friends who socialized with these criminals.”
Analysts are divided on the political implications for Trump. Susan MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida, suggested that while some Republicans are disappointed by the lack of transparency, others hope the issue will fade. “They’re disappointed in Trump because they think that there’s something hidden there, and they believe in transparency,” she said.
