DOJ files motion to unseal grand jury records from Jeffrey Epstein's case
Controversy has grown in recent weeks over the Trump administration's reluctance to release more information on deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Yet in a startling twist, the Department of Justice (DOJ) moved this week to have grand jury testimony relating to Epstein unsealed.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche files motion
According to Breitbart, that came via a motion which was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York late last week.
🚨 BREAKING: The Trump DOJ has officially filed a motion to UNSEAL the Epstein grand jury testimonies in the Southern District of New York
The people deserve to know EVERYTHING! pic.twitter.com/oypMlYsGW6
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 18, 2025
"At the direction of the Attorney General, the Department of Justice hereby moves the Court to release grand jury transcripts associated with the above referenced indictment," it read.
The motion was submitted by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, with Breitbart noting that he submitted another motion regarding grand jury transcripts related to Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell received a 20-year federal prison sentence in 2022 after she was convicted one earlier of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls.
Blanch points to "special circumstances" in Epstein case
As Fox News reported, Blanche stressed in his motion to make the Epstein material public that sensitive information pertaining to those whom the finance mogul preyed upon will be redacted.
"Transparency in this process will not be at the expense of our obligation under the law to protect victims," Blanche assured the court.
The deputy attorney general acknowledged how there is "a tradition of law that proceedings before a grand jury shall generally remain secret."
Nevertheless, he maintained that courts have found reason to set aside that tradition when "certain 'special circumstances'" arise.
"Public officials, lawmakers, pundits, and ordinary citizens remain deeply interested and concerned about the Epstein matter," Blanche pointed out.
Florida judge previously released grand jury records from state case
The deputy attorney general also brought up the fact that last year saw a Florida judge make public some grand jury records from Epstein 2006 indictment on state sex charges.
The BBC quoted Circuit Judge Luis Delgad as saying that Epstein was "the most infamous pedophile in American history" who had engaged in "deviant, disgusting, and criminal" activity.
Delgad went on to assert that the relative leniency with which Epstein was treated has "been the subject of much anger and has at times diminished the public's perception of the criminal justice system."