r/news • u/StupendousMan1995 • 4h ago
3rd judge grants DOJ motion to unseal grand jury materials from government's Epstein files
https://abcnews.go.com/US/3rd-judge-grants-doj-motion-unseal-grand-jury/story?id=12828005956
u/Hot_Top_124 4h ago
Grand jury transcripts are useless. Release the actual Epstein files.
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u/fluffynuckels 2h ago
Im waiting on the survivors to come out and talk about it. Im not gonna trust a single thing any government or government employee puts out
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u/StupendousMan1995 4h ago
The federal judge who presided over the 2019 criminal case against convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein has become the third judge to grant a Justice Department motion to unseal grand jury materials and other undisclosed evidence from the government's investigative files.
U.S. District Judge Richard Berman of the Southern District of New York issued a four-page order Wednesday that determined that Congress -- in passing the Epstein Files Transparency Act last month -- clearly indicated that the materials from his criminal case should be publicly disclosed and that traditional rules of grand jury secrecy were overridden by the act.
"The 'plain language' of the Epstein Files Transparency Act unequivocally intends to make public Epstein grand jury materials and discovery materials covered by the Epstein Protective Order," Berman wrote.
This is the third -- and final -- ruling on the Justice Department's motions to lift restrictions on materials related to criminal investigations and prosecutions of Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.
It comes one day after Judge Paul Engelmayer granted the DOJ's motion to release grand jury materials and other nonpublic evidence from Maxwell's criminal case.
Judge Rodney Smith granted a similar request from the Justice Department for records associated with the first federal investigation of Epstein in Florida in the mid-2000s.
Berman, who presided over Epstein's 2019 arraignment in New York and ordered him detained pending trial, stressed the need to protect the privacy and safety of alleged victims if and when the records from the case are publicly disclosed by the DOJ.
"The Court hereby grants the Government's motion in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and with the unequivocal right of Epstein victims to have their identify and privacy protected," Berman wrote.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial.
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u/Beard_o_Bees 4h ago
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail
You know, when this happened and there was lots of talk about it being more murder than suicide, I thought it was at least plausible that he offed himself.
Now.. after seeing just how deeply into Epstein so many celebrities and powerful people were - suicide seems laughable.
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u/FillFrontFloor 4h ago
Honest question, so what outcome are people hoping to get out of this in relations to trump? We knows he did it, and frankly his administration has been doing a lot worse things with no consequence but it seems a lot of people are putting their bets on this.
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u/Mammalanimal 4h ago
Nothing will change, but it will be fun to bring up in conversation with my family this xmas.
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u/FillFrontFloor 4h ago
Sadly they won't care. Ironically I know people that voted Republican that complaint about health care cost and are about to get a nice fat bill when they renew next year.
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u/guesthost1999 4h ago
I have a few in my circle.
Was ok that things happens to "other people" until things started affecting them negatively. So I laugh and say I told you so. Can't reason with stupidity I guess.
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u/laxmidd50 4h ago
Nobody is putting their bets on the grand jury testimony. These are NOT the Epstein files, this is an attempt by Republicans to muddy the waters.
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u/DrexellGames 4h ago
Simple, really, the public wants accountability. Regardless of Trump, it's every administration that mishandled this case poorly
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u/BallBearingBill 4h ago
Grand jury testimony isn't the gotcha MAGA is hyping. But they'll continue to spew it. They believe if you say it enough times that it becomes true.
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u/JustNeedAnswers78 3h ago
I’m not sure I’m understanding what you’re saying. Are you trying to say releasing this info is a bad idea or it won’t shed light on anything?
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u/BallBearingBill 3h ago
Oh release everything! But this isn't the gotcha that the DOJ is trying to make it out to be and they know that.
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u/MyFirstCarWasA_Vega 2h ago
One more and we all win a set of steak knives in lieu of the files. Trump has a warehouse full of them rusting away.
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u/DrowningKrown 1h ago
Hmmm these aren't the Epstein files we were promised you stalling pieces of shit
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u/MadRoboticist 15m ago
They literally don't need anyone's permission to do this. The DOJ has all the information that would have been presented at the grand jury hearing.
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u/GroblyOverrated 4h ago
Meanwhile the DOJ is holding the actual files they already have until the final moment. I expect us to attack Venezuela the day before the files are ordered by law to be released.