Trump administration seeks release of Epstein grand jury records but not Justice Department files

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Under intense pressure from President Donald Trump’s own supporters, his administration now says it will push a court to unseal secret documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s case in an effort to put to rest for good a political crisis largely of its own making.

But even if those records become public, it’s far from certain they will appease critics enraged over the administration’s unfulfilled promises of full transparency about evidence against the wealthy financier. Meanwhile, the administration remains dogged by questions about its refusal to release other records in its possession after stoking conspiracy theories and pledging to uncover government secrets of the “deep state.”

Here’s a look at the ongoing Epstein files controversy and what may happen next:

How the case got here

Trump is desperately trying to turn the page on a crisis that has consumed his administration since the Justice Department announced last week that it would not release any more evidence about the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein, who killed himself behind bars while awaiting trial in 2019.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-bondi-91f911d2d7a909f78259cdca7b55d9a6

[republianmushroom]

1. Why not release the DOJ unredacted Epstein file ?

[Strelnikov_]

2. Because 'Trump' appears, in some form or fashion, on every other page.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. Justice Dept. asks court to release Epstein grand jury testimony

This is a stunt which would not include the vast majority of the file on Epstein. First, it is highly unlikely that the court will release these files given the appeal by Maxwell. The material in these transcripts are a very tiny part of the material in the FBI/DOJ possession.

This is a stunt to try to take pressure off trump.

Link to tweet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/07/18/bondi-epstein-files-documents-grand-jury-testimony-doj/

The Justice Department on Friday asked a federal court to release grand jury transcripts connected to deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, responding to a growing political outcry over the agency’s unfulfilled promise to release more details on the government’s investigation of his alleged sex-trafficking of minors......

A judge would have to agree to release them, a process that could take weeks or months. Even then, their disclosure is by no means certain. Grand jury records are shielded by secrecy rules to protect crime victims, witnesses and the accused, and are made public only under limited circumstances......

The sealed transcripts would constitute only a fraction of the evidence and investigative material that the FBI amassed during its years-long investigation. The transcripts are unlikely to fully satisfy Trump’s right-wing base, which continues to call for full transparency surrounding the investigation.

“It is generally a very, very small portion of any investigative file,” said Christopher O’Leary, who spent more than two decades as an FBI counterterrorism agent.

The full extent of what remains under wraps is unclear. Thousands of pages of documents related to the Epstein investigation have already been released through lawsuits, court filings, public records requests and the Justice Department’s prosecution of Maxwell......

As recently as last year, the younger Comey had sought in court to keep records pertaining to some aspects of the Epstein investigation under wraps in a suit brought by the gossip website Radar Online seeking FBI records. Comey pushed against making those documents public in a January 2024 court filing, saying it could interfere with Maxwell’s ongoing appeal of her conviction and subject victims and witnesses to “embarrassment and potential harassment.”

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. No one asked for the Grand Jury transcripts