Judge blocks release of Epstein’s grand jury materials

A U.S. judge denied that the material from the investigation of the late convicted pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has not been announced.

Judge Robin Rosenberg found that the release of archives from his Florida case was raised last week as the Trump administration faces increasing pressure on handling Epstein’s archives that would violate state laws.

The decision comes in a story published by the Wall Street Journal, alleging that President Donald Trump is one of hundreds of names appearing in Epstein’s investigative documents held by the Justice Department.

A White House spokesman said the report was “just a continuation of fake news stories consolidated by the Democratic Party and the free media.”

The paper reports that Trump’s name appears alongside many others, including other high-profile figures. Naming in these files is not evidence of any misconduct.

The BBC cannot independently verify the report.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department told Trump that the documents included rumors about many people who socialized with Epstein.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also told the president that child pornography and victim information that should not be disclosed are recorded, according to the newspaper.

Trump directed Bundy to seek release of all the grand jury materials, prompting the Justice Department to require courts to release files related to cases in two U.S. states.

Judge Rosenberg ruled Wednesday in a 12-page order that the transcript could not be released due to guidelines for the confidentiality of the grand jury set by the Federal Court of Appeals in Florida.

“The court’s hands were tied together,” she ruled.

The judge said last week that the release of these files should be made due to “a broad public interest” and “transparency to the American public” and does not meet the requirements of unsealed documents under “special circumstances.”

The transcript originated from a 2006 Florida investigation into Epstein, which led to him being accused of soliciting minors for prostitution.

She also refused to transfer the issue to New York, where two judges decided separately whether to report cards related to Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking investigation. The request is still waiting.

Judge Rosenberg also ruled that a new case was opened so that attorneys could make other legal arguments about why the transcript was released.

These court files were previously federal cases that ended in the death of Epstein in a New York prison awaiting trial in 2019.

The judge’s decision came after the Wall Street Journal reported that Justice Department officials told Trump in May that his name appeared in investigative documents related to Epstein.

Last week, reporters asked the president if he had told him his name was in the archives.

Trump replied: “No, no, she is-she is just a briefing for us.”

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said the report was “no more than a continuation of fake news stories proposed by Democrats and the free media.”

The Justice Department similarly dismissed the report, calling it a “collection of false and allusions” that aims to drive false narratives and get clicks.

The ruling was moved back to Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex trafficker who was jailed for 20 years for helping Epstein abuse young girls.

Her lawyer confirmed to the BBC that a senior Justice Department official is planning to meet with Maxwell to discuss her knowledge of the case and was called to testify on a House Committee.

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee appeared remotely in front of the body from prison on August 11 and sent a subpoena.

Her lawyer David Oscar Markus told the BBC that if she chose to testify rather than invoke her constitutional right to remain silent, “she will testify truthfully, just as she kept saying she would.

He added: “As for Congress subpoena, Ms. Maxwell took this step at once.”

“She looks forward to meeting with the Justice Department, and the discussion will help inform her how it goes.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that Maxwell could not be trusted to provide accurate testimony.

“Can she expect to tell the truth? Is she a credible witness?” Johnson said.

“I mean, this is a man who has been sentenced to years in prison for years for horrible, indescribable conspiracy and actions against innocent young people.”

Trump, once a friend of Epstein during his campaign last year, promised to release documents related to the shameful financiers.

But Bondy said earlier this month that the Justice Department did not find Epstein’s “customer list” of criminals, which could hint at a high-profile colleague and that he did take his own life – even though the plot was a plot against his death.

The statement was made after Bondi previewed her upcoming major disclosure of the case.

These will include “many names” and “many flight logs”, she said — referring to those who travel with financiers or visit their private islands, and many of his alleged crimes were said to have occurred.

Her reversal prompted an angry response from Trump’s most ardent supporters who called for Bundy to resign after failing to find the list, which officials have previously claimed to own.

Democrats seized on the Republican internal struggle to accuse the Trump administration of lying about its commitment to transparency.

Speaker Johnson held a congressional vote on the summer vacation one day ahead of schedule on Tuesday, trying to block legislative efforts to force the release of documents related to Epstein.

But Republican insurgents on the House Oversight Subcommittee of federal law enforcement voted Wednesday afternoon to force the Justice Department to release documents related to Epstein.

Three Republicans – Nancy Mace, Scott Perry and Brian Jack – joined five Democrats to vote for the subpoena. Two Republicans voted against.

A ranking Democrat of Summer Lee reportedly surprised Republicans by introducing a vote at a hearing about unrelated child immigrants.

However, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, must sign in order for a legal subpoena to be conducted.