Trump pushes for release of Epstein, Maxwell grand jury testimony

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United States President Donald Trump’s administration, seeking to ease an uproar plaguing his presidency, urged two judges to release testimony to a grand jury that indicted Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell on sex trafficking charges.

In late-night court filings on Tuesday, US federal prosecutors said unsealing the materials would be appropriate given the “abundant public interest” in the case of Epstein, the late financier, and Maxwell, an imprisoned British socialite.

The Republican Trump had promised to make public Epstein-related files if reelected and accused Democrats of covering up the truth. But this month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said a previously touted Epstein client list did not in fact exist, angering Trump’s supporters.

DOJ first sought court permission on July 18 to make public transcripts of the confidential testimony given by witnesses years ago in the two cases, but Manhattan-based US District Judges Richard Berman and Paul Engelmayer asked the government to flesh out the legal bases for the requests.

Trump has faced pressure to make public documents from the federal investigations into Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, and his longtime girlfriend, Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021.

Even if one or both of the judges allow the transcripts to be made public, it is not clear whether the public would learn anything new or noteworthy.

In the filings, prosecutors said the only witness at Epstein’s grand jury was an FBI agent. That same agent and a New York City Police Department detective were the only witnesses at 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 now serving a 20-year prison sentence in Florida and is asking the US Supreme Court to overturn her conviction. She had pleaded not guilty.

Trump supporters angered

The unsealing requests came after Trump earlier this month asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury transcripts. The president did so after the Justice Department said it concluded that Epstein died by suicide and that there was no incriminating list of his clients.

The Justice Department’s announcement angered some of Trump’s conservative supporters who believe the government is covering up Epstein’s ties to the rich and powerful and that the financier was murdered in jail.

Grand juries are convened by prosecutors and meet in secret to hear witness testimony and decide whether to indict people suspected of crimes. Records of their proceedings usually remain sealed. There are only limited circumstances under which such transcripts can be disclosed.

The transcripts would not represent all previously unreleased material in the government’s possession. Investigators and prosecutors may pursue leads that they cannot substantiate or interview potential witnesses whom they do not ultimately call to testify before a grand jury.

US District Judge Robin Rosenberg in Florida last week denied the administration’s request to unseal records from grand jury probes in 2005 and 2007 in that state into Epstein. The judge said the request did not fall into any of the limited exceptions that may allow for the release of such material.

Democrats use obscure law to seek release of Epstein files

Democrats today moved to force Trump to release files from the investigation into Epstein, invoking an obscure law to keep up the pressure on the administration.

The president raised further questions about his past relationship with Epstein on Tuesday when he told reporters he fell out with his former friend after the disgraced financier “stole” employees from the spa at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democrats on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee wrote to the Justice Department asking for the materials under a section of federal law known as the “rule of five”.

The measure — introduced a century ago but rarely used — requires government departments to provide relevant information if any five members of the Senate’s chief watchdog panel request it.

It is not clear if it could be enforced in court, but even if the effort fails, it keeps the spotlight on an issue that has upended Trump’s summer, dividing Republicans and leading to the early closure of the House of Representatives.

Trump has urged his supporters to drop demands for the Epstein files, but Democrats in Congress, with limited Republican support, have been seeking a floor vote to force their release.

House Oversight Committee Democrats, backed by some Republicans, approved a subpoena last week for the Justice Department to hand over the documents, although the demand has yet to be sent.

Lawmakers have also been seeking testimony from Maxwell, whose lawyer has said she would speak to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee if granted immunity for her testimony.

“The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms Maxwell’s attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,” a spokesman for the panel said.

Democrats have also sought to attach votes on the Epstein files to unrelated bills multiple times, prompting Speaker Mike Johnson to send lawmakers home for the summer a day early last week rather than risk them succeeding.

“Donald Trump promised he would release the Epstein files while he was on the campaign trail. He made that promise, and he has yet to do it,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday.