President Donald Trump’s effort to unseal Jeffrey Epstein-related grand jury transcripts has hit a temporary roadblock.
The federal judge overseeing the Trump administration’s request to unseal records from Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal case said Tuesday that the DOJ’s filing “does not adequately address” several factors the court must weigh when considering the disclosure of secret grand jury materials.
Trump has ordered “all pertinent Grand Jury testimony” in the Epstein case to be released in an effort to appease his base, which has been up in arms since Attorney General Pam Bondi essentially declared the late child sex offender’s case closed in early July.
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But critics have dismissed Trump’s move as smoke and mirrors, noting that the evidence implicating Epstein’s purported high-profile associates—including Trump—is unlikely to appear in grand jury testimony.
Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year prison sentence following her 2021 conviction for helping Epstein recruit and abuse underage girls as part of his sex-trafficking ring.
In his order, District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer said that while he intends to “resolve” the DOJ’s motion to disclose transcripts from Maxwell’s case “expeditiously,” he cannot rule on it “without additional submissions.”
He gave the DOJ until July 29 to further justify its request, including the reasons for seeking disclosure and whether Maxwell objects to the records being unsealed. Under the federal rules of criminal procedure, grand jury proceedings are kept confidential unless the court authorizes disclosure based on a limited set of statutory exceptions.
The Obama-appointed judge also asked whether the government had notified victims before filing its motion to unseal the records. He directed victims in the case, as well as Maxwell’s legal team, to submit their positions on the potential disclosure by Aug. 5.
CNN reported Tuesday that Maxwell—who is urging the Supreme Court to review her case—will oppose the unsealing of the grand jury testimony, citing a person close to her.
Bondi on Tuesday announced that she is seeking a meeting with Maxwell in another bid to tamp down the firestorm sparked by her Epstein records fumble. Her department had asked the Supreme Court to turn away Maxwell’s appeal just over a week ago.
