Judge Unseals Grand Jury Minutes in Epstein Investigation

A federal judge has instructed the release of grand jury minutes tied to the criminal investigation of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which occurred in Florida two decades ago.

In a ruling made on Friday, U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith clarified that the “specific language” of the Epstein File Transparency Act overrides the Rule 6 non-disclosure guideline, as reported by ABC News.

This act was signed into law by President Donald Trump in November. In a post on Truth Social, Trump speculated that “the truth will probably come out” regarding Epstein’s connections with Democratic figures, including former President Bill Clinton and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman.

“This law addresses unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigatory materials concerning Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,” Smith stated. “Consequently, the Act’s specific language supersedes the disclosure restrictions of Rule 6. Therefore, it is ordered that the United States’ request to unseal the grand jury transcript and alter the protective order is approved.”

Judge Smith, responsible for unsealing the grand jury materials, is one of three federal judges who have urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to unseal documents related to cases involving Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Additionally, two judges in New York are anticipated to deliver a ruling next week.

Previously, in July, Judge Robin Rosenberg of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida rejected a request from the Trump administration to disclose Florida grand jury minutes from the Epstein investigation.

At that time, Rosenberg indicated that “11th Circuit law” did not permit the court to approve the government’s request, which followed a motion filed by the Justice Department seeking records from two grand juries in 2005 and 2007.