Justice Department asks court to unseal Jeffrey Epstein grand jury records

Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press

The US Justice Department has asked a federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts in Jeffrey Epstein’s case amid a firestorm over the Trump administration’s handling of records related to the wealthy financier.

Deputy attorney general Todd Blanche filed a motion urging the court to release the transcripts a day after President Donald Trump directed the Justice Department to do so.

The Trump administration has been embroiled in controversy since the Justice Department last week announced that it would not be releasing any more evidence in its possession from Epstein’s investigation.

Sexually suggestive letter

Mr Trump’s demand to release the grand jury transcripts came after The Wall Street Journal reported on a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Mr Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th birthday.

Mr Trump denied writing the letter, calling it “false, malicious, and defamatory”.

The Justice Department said it will work with prosecutors in New York to make appropriate redactions of victim-related information and other personally identifying information before transcripts are released.

Grand jury transcripts, which could show the evidence of witnesses and that presented by prosecutors, are rarely released 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 released and how to protect witnesses and other sensitive victim information.