Judge rejects Justice Department’s request to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury records in Jeffrey Epstein case

  A federal judge has denied the US Justice Departments request to release grand jury transcripts from Ghislaine Maxwells criminal case, ruling that the materials would reveal next to nothing new about her crimes with Jeffrey Epstein.In a 31-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer said the grand jury evidence contained no new allegations beyond what was presented at Maxwells public trial, and did not name anyone other than Epstein or Maxwell as having sexual contact with minors.The DOJ had argued that unsealing was warranted due to abundant public interest, a push amplified by President Donald Trump and his supporters, who have called for broader disclosures in the Epstein-Maxwell saga. Last month, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony from the Epstein case.Engelmayer described the grand jury presentation as limited: a single day of testimony from one law enforcement agent summarizing the investigation under tightly scripted questioning by prosecutors.Its entire premise that the Maxwell grand jury materials would bring to light meaningful new information is demonstrably false, the judge wrote. A member of the public would thus learn next to nothing new. There is no there there.The judge stressed that most of the relevant evidence including victim testimony, photos, flight logs, and items seized from Epsteins homes was already made public during Maxwells trial or reported by the media.He also rejected claims that the transcripts held significant historical value, calling them garden-variety summary testimony by two agents, with no revelations about Epsteins clients, new crime locations, methods, sources of wealth, or the circumstances of his 2019 jailhouse death.Citing the rule of secrecy governing grand jury proceedings, Engelmayer said one of the few valid reasons to unseal would be to expose disingenuous government conduct. He hinted that the DOJs motion could be seen as political theater:A member of the public might conclude that the Governments motion for their unsealing was aimed not at transparency but at diversion aimed not at full disclosure but at the illusion of such.Maxwells attorney David Oscar Markus opposed the release, warning it could affect her appeal. The DOJ did not immediately comment.The ruling comes amid broader legal fights over secrecy in the Epstein cases: A similar DOJ bid to unseal records in Epsteins federal case is pending before another judge. A separate request to unseal grand jury documents from Epsteins 2005 Florida case was denied last month.Epstein, a financier with political connections to both Trump and former President Bill Clinton, died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death and the scope of his network remain the subject of conspiracy theories, some promoted by Trump and his allies during the presidential campaign.The latest push to unseal Maxwells grand jury testimony followed a leaked DOJFBI memo stating that no new defendants would be charged in connection with Epstein and Maxwells trafficking operation, and that no further evidence would be released.Hours earlier, The Wall Street Journal had reported Trump sent Epstein a bawdy 50th birthday letter in 2003 a claim Trump denies and is now suing the papers publisher, two reporters, and Rupert Murdoch for defamation. The post Judge rejects Justice Departments request to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury records in Jeffrey Epstein case appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.