Judge denies release of Jeffrey Epstein transcripts in Florida

A Florida federal judge on Wednesday denied a request to unseal grand jury transcripts of a federal investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

President Donald Trump had called for the release of grand jury testimony related to Epstein, who was accused of sexually trafficking children, in response to pressure from lawmakers and some supporters to show more transparency with the case.

U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg of Florida said in her ruling that 11th Circuit law does not permit her to grant the government's request and that her "hands are tied."

Rosenberg also said the government's request to unseal the grand jury transcripts does not fall under the limited exceptions allowed under the law.

Two judges in New York also are considering parallel requests from the Justice Department to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Epstein. They have given the department until next week to address more fully why the transcripts should be made public and an additional week to hear from Epstein's representatives and his victims.

Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal child sex trafficking charges, but his close associate Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for charges of facilitating Epstein's abuse of girls.

The Department of Justice asked judges in several states last week to release the grand jury transcripts related to Epstein. The department filed motions in the Southern District of New York as well as in the Southern District of Florida.

In Florida, the department was seeking transcripts from grand jury investigations into Epstein in 2005 and 2007.

While the government claimed that releasing the grand jury transcripts was "a matter of public interest," and that special circumstances should allow for their release given Epstein's death, Rosenberg ruled that the request did not fall under the limited exceptions allowed under law. 

The DOJ's "stated rationale are not exceptions," Rosenberg wrote. 

The ruling comes amid a political firestorm that was sparked earlier this month by the release of a DOJ memo asserting that there was no evidence that Epstein had possessed a "client list" or that he had blackmailed prominent individuals. 

It appeared to contradict previous statements made by Attorney General Pam Bondi about an alleged list of clients. In February, Bondi told Fox News in an interview that Epstein's client list was "sitting on my desk right now to review."

The DOJ memo caused outcries from members of President Trump's base, who have criticized the administration for what they see as backtracking on past pledges to release additional information related to Epstein's case. 

Calls from Congress for more information

Trump has tried to deflect the controversy by dismissing it as a politically-driven "witch hunt." Asked about the case during an appearance in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said, "I don't really follow that too much," before pivoting to complaints about the Obama administration and Russian interference in the 2016 election. 

The case is causing political headaches for Republicans in Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has canceled votes for later this week and is instead sending lawmakers home for their August recess a day early. The scheduling change was announced Tuesday after clashes among Republicans about the files — including a deadlock on the powerful House Rules Committee over a push by Democrats to force votes on the Epstein matter. 

Despite the scheduling change, lawmakers are still seeking more information. On Wednesday, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform announced that he had issued a subpoena to Maxwell for a deposition from federal prison on August 11. 

"The facts and circumstances surrounding both your and Mr. Epstein's cases have received immense public interest and scrutiny," wrote Chairman James Comer, R-Ky, in the subpoena cover letter.

"It is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government's enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of you and Mr. Epstein," Comer wrote.  

Separately on Wednesday, a federal judge in New York who is reviewing the Justice Department's request to unseal grand jury transcripts in the Maxwell case rejected a motion by her attorneys to review the documents. 

"It is black-letter law that defendants generally are not entitled to access to grand jury materials," Judge Paul Engelmayer wrote in his ruling.
Copyright 2025 NPR