In a recent move, President Donald Trump has directed the Justice Department to seek the release of additional details related to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However, he expressed skepticism on Saturday, claiming that this action might not significantly reduce the vocal criticism surrounding his administration's handling of the Epstein case.
On social media, Trump reiterated his request for the DOJ to unveil all Grand Jury testimony concerning Epstein, contingent only on court approval. Despite this step towards transparency, he criticized those who have demanded more openness since the release of a memo by the Justice Department and FBI on July 6, which indicated no further files would be disclosed from the federal investigations into the late financier.
“Even if the Court gave its full and unwavering approval, nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request,” Trump stated in his post. This remark highlights his ongoing defense against allegations that his administration has not adequately pursued the truth regarding the sex trafficking charges filed against Epstein six years ago.
Epstein, who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail on August 10, 2019, had previously enjoyed a friendly relationship with Trump, socializing in locations like New York and Palm Beach. Following Epstein's arrest in 2019, Trump claimed that their friendship had soured, noting they had not spoken in 15 years. It is essential to note that Trump has never been accused of any wrongdoing linked to the Epstein case, despite his name appearing multiple times on Epstein's private jet flight logs.
In a recent filing, the DOJ indicated that its request for grand jury testimony was driven by substantial public interest. The department plans to collaborate with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York to appropriately redact any victim-related and personally identifiable information before the transcripts are released. The filing emphasized that “transparency in this process will not be at the expense of our obligation under the law to protect victims.”
This filing, which was signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, seeks a court ruling to deem the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases as matters of public interest, allowing the release of associated grand jury transcripts and the lifting of any existing protective orders.
Maxwell, an associate of Epstein, was convicted of sex trafficking and other charges, ultimately receiving a 20-year prison sentence in 2022. A former federal prosecutor, Sarah Krissoff, expressed to ABC News that the DOJ’s request might not yield any substantial new information. She noted that the grand jury transcript is likely to cover only a small fraction of the extensive evidence compiled by the DOJ against the infamous financier.
“The grand jury testimony is going to be very limited compared to the entire case file,” Krissoff remarked. She highlighted that the testimony would essentially serve as a “highlight reel” of what prosecutors deem significant, which could encompass an overwhelming amount of documents—potentially hundreds of thousands, if not millions.
Krissoff, who has more than a decade of experience as a prosecutor with the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, explained that prosecutors typically avoid presenting firsthand witnesses to the grand jury. Instead, they prefer to utilize federal agents who can summarize evidence and witness testimonies. “The standard practice, particularly in the SDNY, is to keep the grand jury presentation as slim as possible,” she stated, emphasizing that the goal is to provide only the necessary evidence to secure an indictment.
Considering the existing evidence made public through civil lawsuits and Maxwell's criminal trial, Krissoff argued that the release of the grand jury transcripts is unlikely to alter the public’s understanding of the Epstein case significantly. “While I understand that the president wants to appease some folks by disclosing the grand jury testimony, I just don’t see that as really shedding light on much here,” she concluded.
