A federal judge has halted the Trump administration's attempt to release grand jury materials related to Ghislaine Maxwell, criticizing it as a diversion tactic. The judge argues that the request does not promote transparency and dismisses claims of new details in the documents. The decision comes amid ongoing public interest and conspiracy theories surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's death.
Federal Judge Blocks Release of Epstein Documents, Criticizes Trump Administration
Federal Judge Blocks Release of Epstein Documents, Criticizes Trump Administration
The Trump administration sought to release grand jury materials from the case against Ghislaine Maxwell. However, a federal judge has blocked the attempt, harshly criticizing the arguments presented.
"It is merely a diversion tactic," writes Judge Paul Engelmayer in his decision.
Donald Trump's Department of Justice requested the release of materials from the grand jury in the indictment against Ghislaine Maxwell—Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice and girlfriend—citing significant public interest in the case. This explanation is completely dismissed by federal judge Paul Engelmayer, who has stopped the attempt.
The request to lift the secrecy is not aimed at transparency, he writes according to CNN, but rather appears to be a diversion tactic.
"It does not aim for full transparency but is an illusion of such... The material identifies no one other than Epstein and Maxwell as guilty of having sexual relations with a minor. They do not discuss or identify any clients of Epstein or Maxwell. They reveal no previously unknown methods or practices of Epstein's or Maxwell's crimes," the judge further writes.
No New Details – False and Dishonest
In several parts, he criticizes the Department of Justice's argument that there would be new details in the material—and questions whether they even know what emerged during Maxwell's trial, "since a number of details they claimed were non-public had actually been testified to during the trial."
Finally, he also writes that the best argument for releasing the documents is that such a decision would expose the administration's public explanations for the request as false and dishonest.
Interest in Epstein grew significantly after his death in a prison cell in 2019. An investigation concluded it was suicide, but conspiracy theories that Democrats on his client list were behind his death have circulated.
Therefore, expectations were high when Donald Trump became president and promises were made by, among others, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Chief Kash Patel to release all "Epstein files." The promise has not been kept, and the administration's refusal to show the existing facts has become one of the president's most severe political problems.