&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US judge approves release of Epstein case transcripts in Florida")
A US federal judge on Friday (Dec 5) ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in Florida. This comes after US President Donald Trump signed a bill last month ordering the public release of documents regarding the Epstein case, following which the Justice Department had requested their unsealing.
Prior request of the Justice Department to release the transcripts of grand jury proceedings, which are typically kept secret, from Epstein’s Florida case was rebuffed. However, on Friday, US District Judge Rodney Smith ruled that the Epstein Files Transparency Act mandates the release of the documents.
Epstein was charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida and pleaded guilty to the offence in 2008. In 2019, the wealthy financier was arrested on charges of sex trafficking of minors in New York. He died during pre-trial detention, and his death was ruled a suicide.
The Justice Department is also seeking the release of files related to the New York case and investigation of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting underage girls for Epstein.
Trump, who once shared a close friendship with Epstein, had attempted to prevent the release of the documents. However, following mounting pressure from Congress, he signed a law on November 19, ordering the release of the materials to the public.
Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” in possession of the Justice Department, the FBI, and US attorneys’ offices related to Epstein and Maxwell are to be released within 30 days.
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Before signing the law, Trump slammed Democrats for pushing the “hoax” in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform following allegations that released emails written by the disgraced financier suggested that Trump “knew about the girls” – a claim the Republican denied.
“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown,’” Trump wrote.
The 79-year-old president added that the Department of Justice has already started going through tens of thousands of pages and is looking at “various Democrat operatives”, including Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, and Larry Summers, and their relationship with Epstein.
