Justice Department moves to unseal Epstein, Maxwell grand jury transcripts amid calls for transparency

At Attorney General Pam Bondi s direction the Department of Justice DOJ on Friday formally moved to unseal long-secret grand jury transcripts from the Jeffrey Epstein affair citing what it called intense constituents interest in the notorious sex trafficking assessment Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche submitted the motion in Manhattan federal court urging a judge to release the transcripts from Epstein s grand jury proceedings and those from the prosecution of Epstein s convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell as part of a new transparency push by the department Earlier this month the DOJ and FBI issued a memorandum describing an exhaustive review of their Epstein investigative files That internal review sought to determine if any evidence could justify charging additional individuals but it concluded that no such evidence was uncovered against any uncharged third parties Since the memo s July release officers say residents interest in its conclusions has remained high DOJ REJECTS GHISLAINE MAXWELL S APPEAL IN SCOTUS RESPONSEWhile the department maintains it stands by the memo s findings the filing emphasizes that transparency to the American residents is of the utmost importance to this Administration Given the intense society interest the DOJ advised the court it is moving to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts to shed light on its investigative work in the Epstein matter The DOJ explained it will work with prosecutors to redact all victim names and personal identifying information from the transcripts before any release Transparency in this process will not be at the expense of our obligation under the law to protect casualties the motion assured Epstein was indicted by a New York grand jury July on sex trafficking charges Just over a month later on Aug he died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial and the scenario was dismissed LEGAL PATHWAY CLEARLY EXISTS FOR TRUMP'S REQUEST TO MAKE EPSTEIN GRAND JURY TESTIMONY PUBLICEpstein s longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell was indicted by a grand jury in on multiple counts related to trafficking and coercing minors She was convicted in December and sentenced to years in prison Maxwell s convictions were upheld on appeal in and she is petitioning the U S Supreme Court to review her scenario Grand jury proceedings are ordinarily secret by law or as the motion says a tradition of law that proceedings before a grand jury shall generally remain secret But the filing notes this tradition is not absolute Federal courts have recognized certain special circumstances where releasing grand jury records is appropriate even outside the usual exceptions like when a matter holds considerable constituents or historical importance The DOJ argues Epstein s episode is exactly such a special circumstance given its unparalleled notoriety Populace executives lawmakers pundits and ordinary citizens remain deeply interested and concerned about the Epstein matter the motion notes The motion points out that a Florida judge last year ordered the release of chosen Epstein grand jury records after concluding the financier was the greater part infamous pedophile in American history and that the facts of Epstein s matter tell a tale of national disgrace By the DOJ s account the sealed grand jury transcripts are critical pieces of an critical moment in our nation s history and t he time for the society to guess what they contain should end The motion stresses that Epstein s death means any privacy interests on his side are now substantially diminished And even though Maxwell is still fighting her conviction prosecutors revealed the extraordinary society scrutiny around the Epstein saga justifies pressing ahead with unsealing now For these reasons the DOJ is urging the court to conclude that the Epstein and Maxwell cases qualify as matters of general interest and to grant the unsealing of the grand jury transcripts while lifting any protective orders CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe unsealing would shine unprecedented light on one of America s the bulk notorious criminal cases a move the department says is legally justified and necessary in the name of society accountability The DOJ did not at once respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment Fox News' Mike Ruiz contributed to this statement