A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s bid to unseal secret grand jury transcripts tied to the government’s case against deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, marking another setback in the administration’s efforts to shape public perception of the long-running scandal.
U.S. District Judge Richard Berman ruled that prosecutors failed to demonstrate a “special circumstance” warranting release of the materials, which are shielded by federal grand jury secrecy rules. He emphasized that no recognized exceptions applied to the Epstein proceedings and called the administration’s approach “highly unusual.”
“The government has not justified this request,” Berman wrote in his order. “Grand jury secrecy is the norm, not the exception.”
The decision follows a July ruling from a federal judge in Florida blocking a similar push by the administration to unseal transcripts from a separate grand jury investigation into Epstein’s activities more than two decades ago.
A Focus on Documents, Not Transcripts
Judge Berman criticized the government for framing the transcripts as central to transparency, while declining to release what he described as its “trove” of far more extensive Epstein records. According to court filings, the Justice Department holds roughly 10,000 pages of Epstein-related materials, compared with about 70 pages of grand jury testimony.
“It is striking that the government seeks the unsealing of limited grand jury testimony while withholding vastly more information,” Berman noted, suggesting the move appeared more like a “diversion” than a genuine transparency effort.
The Trump administration drew backlash in July after officially closing its review of Epstein’s death and refusing to release the bulk of the records. Officials concluded Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial in 2019 and dismissed claims he used his sex trafficking operation for blackmail or maintained a secret “client list.”
That decision outraged many of President Trump’s staunchest supporters, who had demanded full disclosure of the records. Trump responded by accusing Democrats of exploiting the controversy to divide his political base.
Trump, Epstein, and Renewed Scrutiny
The administration’s handling of the Epstein files has revived scrutiny of Trump’s past friendship with Epstein, which spanned the 1990s and early 2000s before Trump cut ties prior to Epstein’s 2008 conviction in Florida for sex crimes involving minors. There are no allegations that Trump was involved in Epstein’s criminal activities.
Still, Trump’s name appears among many others in the government’s Epstein files, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal. Trump has sued the paper over a separate article alleging he once wrote Epstein a birthday letter, calling the story defamatory. His political base has largely rallied behind him, viewing the controversy as part of a broader media campaign against his administration.
Maxwell Cooperation and Oversight
Meanwhile, Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence after her 2021 federal sex trafficking conviction, has signaled a willingness to cooperate with investigators. Maxwell met privately in July with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, offering details about her activities with Epstein as part of an apparent effort to secure a future pardon from President Trump.
She is also negotiating with the House Oversight Committee, which is conducting a bipartisan inquiry into Epstein’s network and the Justice Department’s files. Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) confirmed earlier this week that the department has agreed to turn over documents in response to a subpoena, though officials plan to redact victims’ identities and sensitive material involving child sexual abuse.
The Justice Department has not set a timeline for producing the records.
What Comes Next
With Berman’s ruling, the Trump administration faces growing pressure to release the documents it already controls rather than focusing on sealed grand jury transcripts. Legal experts say the odds of success on appeal are slim, given the strong precedent protecting grand jury secrecy.
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