New York judge again halts release of Epstein grand jury documents
The magistrate said the Justice Department, which is making the request, has much more data on the case that it could release to the public.
Una fotografía de Ghislaine Maxwell y Jeffrey Epstein
A federal judge in New York denied this Wednesday the Trump administration's request to release Jeffrey Epstein's grand jury documents.
Judge Richard Berman considered that while there is precedent for sharing such materials, in this particular case no "special circumstance" has been shown to recommend it and disclosure would not provide new information.
The magistrate said the Department of Justice (DOJ), who is making the request, has much more data about the case that it could indeed release to the public.
"The information contained in the grand jury transcripts about Epstein pales in comparison to the information and investigative materials about (the defendant) in the DOJ's possession," Berman wrote in his opinion.
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Berman is the third to reject the release of the documents
This is not the first time a judicial authority in this state has stopped the government's request to release additional information about the financier involved in a web of scandals and sex crimes. Richard Berman is the third to refuse the release of trial documents, which are usually never made public.
According to the statement from the attorney general, Pam Bondi, and her number two, Todd Blanche, the request to release the 70 pages of the report was in the public interest about how the investigation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice itself had developed.
The federal judge also claimed that revealing the grand jury proceedings could pose "potential threats" to the safety and privacy of Epstein's more than 1,000 victims.
The wealthy financier with high-level connections died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for child sex trafficking.
Berman's ruling comes less than 10 days after another federal judge refused to release the same transcripts in the case against Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. The 63-year-old is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of recruiting minors for the businessman.
DOJ to turn over Jeffrey Epstein case records to Congress
The development marks a significant step in the investigation of the Epstein case, which has generated intense public scrutiny and political tensions, especially within the Republican Party.
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