Justice Department asks court to unseal Jeffrey Epstein grand jury records

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER WASHINGTON AP The Justice Department requested a federal court on Friday to unseal grand jury transcripts in Jeffrey Epstein s event amid a firestorm over the Trump administration s handling of records related to the wealthy financier Related Articles Jon Stewart says he could be next after Stephen Colbert s show is canceled Venezuela releases jailed Americans in deal that frees newcomers deported to El Salvador by US Trump administration seeks release of Epstein grand jury records but not Justice Department files Trump signs new stablecoin regulations into law a major milestone for crypto industry Tears and frustration at California immigration court where a lawyer fears for his clients safety Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche filed motions urging the court to release the Epstein transcripts as well as those in the matter against convicted British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell a day after President Donald Trump directed the Justice Department to do so The Trump administration has been embroiled in disagreement since the Justice Department last week informed that it would not be releasing any more evidence in its possession from Epstein s study Trump s demand to release the grand jury transcripts came after The Wall Street Journal announced on a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump s name and was included in a album for Epstein s th birthday Trump denied writing the letter calling it false malicious and defamatory The Justice Department commented it will work with with prosecutors in New York to make appropriate redactions of victim-related information and other personally identifying information before transcripts are distributed Grand jury transcripts which could show the testimony of observers and other evidence presented by prosecutors are rarely issued by courts unless they need to be disclosed in connection with a judicial proceeding Even with the Justice Department endorsement it could take weeks or months of legal wrangling to decide what can be issued and how to protect spectators and other sensitive victim information