Trump administration's plea to disclose grand jury evidence related to Ghislaine Maxwell's trial is turned down by the judge
In a recent ruling, Federal Judge Paul Engelmayer in New York has denied the Trump administration's motion to unseal grand jury testimony from the criminal case against Ghislaine Maxwell. This decision follows a similar denial by another judge in the same case.
The reasoning behind the denial centers on the judicial findings that the requested grand jury materials would not reveal new or meaningful information about Epstein and Maxwell's crimes. According to the judges, the administration's justification for the release was "demonstrably false," suggesting the motion may have served as a "diversion" rather than a genuine effort to increase transparency.
U.S. District Judge Engelmayer criticized the Department of Justice (DOJ) for presenting false premises, noting that the materials would not add anything of consequence beyond what is already publicly known or available in the government's extensive files. Similarly, Judge Richard Berman underscored that the DOJ already possesses a vast trove—more than 100,000 pages—of investigative files that substantially dwarf the small portion of grand jury transcripts sought for release.
Berman emphasized that the transcripts mostly contain hearsay testimony from an FBI agent with no direct knowledge of the case. He also expressed concerns that releasing them could risk victims' privacy and safety. He described the DOJ's effort as a diversion from the breadth of information it has in its possession and noted insufficient notice was given to victims.
The government is in possession of over 300 gigabytes of data obtained during the investigations against Epstein and Maxwell. The remaining materials include 40 computers and electronic devices, 26 storage drives, more than 70 CDs, and six recording devices. Notably, the evidence notably includes multiple documents related to two islands Epstein owned in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Little Saint James, and Greater Saint James. Some of the documents could shed light on who visited the island, as they include a Little Saint James logbook and multiple logs of boat trips to and from the island.
The unreleased evidence also includes approximately 60 pieces of physical evidence, including photographs, travel logs, employee lists, over $17,000 in cash, five massage tables, blueprints of Epstein's island and Manhattan home, four busts of female body parts, a pair of women's cowboy boots, and one stuffed dog.
The DOJ's reasoning for the release of grand jury testimony was also criticized by Judge Engelmayer. He stated that the grand jury transcripts would not reveal new information about Epstein and Maxwell's crimes. The Justice Department and FBI had argued that a "large portion" of the records included photographs of victims and child pornography. However, Judge Engelmayer's denial suggests otherwise.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been seeking to release materials related to the investigation into Epstein. Last month, the Justice Department and FBI announced that they had found no evidence that Epstein kept a list of celebrities and politicians.
It's important to note that Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while facing federal child sex trafficking charges. Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking and other offenses in connection with Jeffrey Epstein.
In a separate news item, the Supreme Court has been formally asked to overturn the landmark same-sex marriage ruling. This request, however, is not directly related to the Epstein case.
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