The United States Department of Justice submitted court filings on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, explaining its reasoning as to why it requested courts unseal grand jury transcripts for sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
In 2008, Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to a Florida charge of procuring an underage girl for prostitution. He was sentenced to 18-months in prison, but served nearly 13-months before being released for probation on house arrest. Epstein was arrested in 2019 and charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex. A search of his Manhattan townhouse uncovered photos of underage females. Epstein was found dead in his jail cell later that year.
Ghislaine Maxwell is a close associate of Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell was arrested in 2020 and charged with enticement of minors, sex trafficking of children, and perjury. She was convicted in 2021 by a jury on five counts of sex trafficking, one count of sex trafficking of a minor, one count of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and three counts of conspiracy to commit choate felonies. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
President Donald J. Trump socialized with Epstein and Maxwell in the past. The three have been photographed together on multiple occasions. President Trump and Epstein had a falling out prior to Epstein’s first arrest. President Trump’s allies have long argued that the government covered up the Epstein case in order to protect powerful men and celebrities. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi released government documents related to Epstein back in February 2025. A few months later, the Department of Justice stated that Epstein did not maintain a “client list,” and that no further information would be released to the public despite multiple prior promises to do so.
Public backlash led the Trump administration to file the request to unseal the Epstein and Maxwell grand jury transcripts. The government was previously ordered to address the In re Craig, 131 F.3d 99 (2d Cir. 1997) factors that weigh whether the release of grand jury records is appropriate. Responding to that order, the government argues that (1) there is broad public interest in the proceedings; (2) Epstein cannot oppose the disclosure and Maxwell will craft a response; (3) disclosure is being sought to “provide information to the public while remaining sensitive to protecting the rights of victims;” (4) any public disclosure is “subject to appropriate redactions of victim-related and other personal identifying information;” (5) “the passage of time has not dulled the public’s interest in these cases;” (6) one of Epstein’s family members previously filed a Freedom of Information Act request; (7) the transcripts have not impermissibly leaked to the public; (8) both witnesses who provided direct testimony are still alive; and (9) the government is sensitive to the fact that third parties not charged or alleged to be involved are identified in the transcripts, which is why it proposes redacting the transcripts before release.
The government also noted in its filing that all but one of the victims referenced in the transcripts were notified. “The Government has attempted to contact the remaining victim, but such efforts have been unsuccessful. In addition, the Government is in the process of providing notice to any other individuals identified in the transcripts.”
Additional Reading
DOJ urges release of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury info in new filings, CNBC (July 30, 2025)
Government’s Memorandum in Response to the Court’s Orders of July 22, 2025 (Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE)
Jeffrey Epstein, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (Retrieved July 30, 2025)
Ghislaine Maxwell, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (Retrieved July 30, 2025)
Inside the Long Friendship Between Trump and Epstein, The New York Times (July 19, 2025)
Photo Credit: miss.cabul / Shutterstock.com
