🔗 Share this article

The US Justice Department has made another attempt to obtain access to grand jury records from the inquiry into the late financier, which resulted in his federal indictment in 2019.

Lawmakers' Move Spurs Renewed Court Push

The newly submitted motion, prepared by the government lawyer for the southern district, declares that legislators made it evident when authorizing the disclosure of case documents that these legal files should be released.

"The congressional action superseded current regulations in a manner that enables the release of the federal jury documents," stated the justice department.

Schedule Elements

The legal document petitioned the Manhattan federal court to act promptly in releasing the records, noting the 30-day period set after the legislation was signed into law last week.

Prior Motion Faced Rejection

However, this current attempt comes after a prior request from the former administration was turned down by the federal judge, who pointed to a "important and persuasive factor" for preserving the records confidential.

In his recent judgment, the magistrate noted that the 70 pages of jury testimony and exhibits, containing a digital presentation, phone records, and letters from survivors and their legal representatives, are minimal compared to the authorities' extensive collection of Epstein-related files.

"The authorities' massive collection of case documents overshadow the 70 odd pages," wrote Berman in his decision, adding that the request appeared to be a "detour" from making public files already in the prosecution's control.

Content of the Federal Jury Materials

The confidential documents mainly include the statement of an FBI agent, who served as the lone witness in the federal jury hearings and reportedly had "little firsthand information of the investigative specifics" with testimony that was "largely unverified."

Safety Concerns

The presiding judge pointed to the "possible threats to survivors' security and confidentiality" as the convincing justification for keeping the materials under seal.

Similar Proceedings

A comparable petition to make public federal jury statements involving the criminal proceedings of his accomplice was also turned down, with the magistrate noting that the federal petition incorrectly suggested the sealed records contained an "undiscovered wealth of undisclosed information" about the proceedings.

Current Situations

The current motion comes shortly after the appointment of a new prosecutor to investigate his associations with well-known politicians and a few months after the dismissal of one of the lead prosecutors working on the cases.

When asked about how the active inquiry might affect the disclosure of related documents in official hands, the Attorney General responded: "We cannot comment on that because it is now a pending investigation in the New York district."