US judge orders release of Florida Epstein grand jury transcripts

A US district court judge has ordered the unsealing of grand jury transcripts from the federal case against disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in Florida.

In a brief two-page order, Judge Rodney Smith said he would grant the Justice Department’s renewed request to make the documents public, following Congress’s passage last month of a law requiring the release of all government files related to Epstein.

Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

In 2008, he pleaded guilty in a Florida federal court and was convicted of procuring a minor for prostitution.

Victims have long alleged that Epstein operated a wide-ranging trafficking operation involving members of the political and business elite.

His case has remained politically charged, with lawmakers and victims’ advocates demanding greater transparency regarding his network of associates and any individuals who may have enabled his crimes.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Their past social and business ties, as well as Epstein’s extensive links to influential political, business, and social circles, have continued to draw scrutiny.

The Justice Department is expected to release the transcripts once the court formally completes the unsealing process.

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Source: TRT