The Department of Justice on Monday asked a New York district court to unseal grand jury records related to the cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Attorney General Pam Bondi filed the motion after Congress nearly unanimously passed a bill that calls for the release of all unclassified records related to Epstein's case and investigation.
That bill requires the DOJ to release all such records within 30 days.
"The Legislative and Executive Branches have nearly unanimously directed the Department of Justice to make records related to the Epstein and Maxwell investigations publicly available. The specific language in this recently enacted statute overrides Rule 6(e)’s general concerns for grand-jury privacy," the new filing reads.
The unsealed records would be redacted to protect victims and other identifying information, the filing said.
EARLIER THIS YEAR | Judge denies request to unseal grand jury records in Ghislaine Maxwell's case
In August, a federal judge in New York denied the Department of Justice's request to unseal grand jury records in Maxwell's sex trafficking case.
The judge said the grand jury records offered no meaningful new information beyond what was revealed at Maxwell’s public trial.
But since then, the Senate approved the bill ordering the release of records by unanimous consent. The House voted 427–1 to force the release of the files. Republican Rep. Clay Higgins was the lone "no" vote.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly tried to distance himself from Epstein, despite what appeared to be a friendly relationship in the 1990s before a reported falling out. He has insisted he knew nothing about Epstein’s alleged crimes.
