The United States Department of Justice has renewed its request to unseal grand jury materials from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who was indicted on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019.
In a filing signed by US attorney Jay Clayton for the southern district of New York, the department argues that congressional action last week, which approved the release of investigative materials, permits the unsealing of the court records. The filing requests prompt release, noting that lawmakers gave a 30-day window after President Donald Trump signed the measure into law.
However, a previous request under the Trump administration was denied by Judge Richard Berman, who cited a “significant and compelling reason” related to “possible threats to victims’ safety and privacy”. Berman noted that the 70 pages of grand jury transcripts and exhibits “pale in comparison” to the 100,000 pages of Epstein files already held by the government.
The grand jury materials largely consist of testimony from an FBI agent who had no direct knowledge of the case, described as mostly hearsay. A similar request to unseal grand jury testimony related to Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell was also rejected, with Judge Paul Engelmayer stating that the materials are “definitively not” an untapped source of undisclosed information.
Clayton’s request comes shortly after he was tasked with investigating Epstein’s ties to prominent Democrats, and four months after prosecutor Maurene Comey was dismissed. Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to comment further, citing the pending investigation.
