A federal judge in Florida has denied the Justice Department’s request that grand jury transcripts from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein be made public, hindering President Donald Trump’s efforts to tamp down criticism from his base about not releasing more files from the late financier’s sex-trafficking case.
U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg determined Monday that the request did not fall under any of the exceptions to requirements that grand jury material remain sealed. Grand jury transcripts are highly shielded to protect victims and witnesses, and it’s rare for a judge to make them public.
Despite that unlikelihood, Attorney General Pam Bondi made the request with the court last Friday. In her motion, she defended the Justice Department’s decision earlier this month not to release any more files but acknowledged there remains “extensive public interest” in how the Trump administration reached that conclusion. Releasing grand jury transcripts, the motion argued, could help address that.
Rosenberg rejected that.
