Justice Department asks court to unseal Jeffrey Epstein grand jury records

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER WASHINGTON AP The Justice Department appealed a federal court on Friday to unseal grand jury transcripts in Jeffrey Epstein s matter amid a firestorm over the Trump administration s handling of records related to the wealthy financier Related Articles Venezuela releases jailed Americans in deal that frees transients deported to El Salvador by US Trump administration seeks release of Epstein grand jury records but not Justice Department files Trump s birthright citizenship order remains blocked as lawsuits march on after Supreme Court ruling Trump offers regulatory relief for coal iron ore and chemical industries Development Department will release selected frozen grants supporting after-school and summer programs Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche filed motions urging the court to release the Epstein transcripts as well as those in the event against convicted British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell a day after President Donald Trump directed the Justice Department to do so The Trump administration has been embroiled in conflict since the Justice Department last week informed that it would not be releasing any more evidence in its possession from Epstein s assessment Trump s demand to release the grand jury transcripts came after The Wall Street Journal broadcasted on a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump s name and was included in a album for Epstein s th birthday Trump denied writing the letter calling it false malicious and defamatory The Justice Department disclosed it will work with with prosecutors in New York to make appropriate redactions of victim-related information and other personally identifying information before transcripts are issued Grand jury transcripts which could show the testimony of observers and other evidence presented by prosecutors are rarely published by courts unless they need to be disclosed in connection with a judicial proceeding Even with the Justice Department endorsement it could take weeks or months of legal wrangling to decide what can be disclosed and how to protect observers and other sensitive victim information