Judge rejects Trump administration effort to unseal Epstein grand jury records in Florida

A judge on Wednesday rejected a Trump administration request to unseal transcripts from grand jury investigations of Jeffrey Epstein years ago in Florida though a similar records request is pending in New York U S District Judge Robin Rosenberg in West Palm Beach explained the request to release grand jury documents from and did not meet any of the extraordinary exceptions under federal law that could make them residents The Justice Department last week sought the judge to release records to quell a storm among supporters of President Donald Trump who believe there was a conspiracy to protect Epstein s clients conceal videos of crimes being committed and other evidence In Epstein cut a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida that allowed him to escape more severe federal charges and instead plead guilty to state charges of procuring a person under for prostitution and solicitation of prostitution The wealthy financier later was arrested in on federal sex trafficking charges His former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was charged with helping him abuse teenage girls Epstein was discovered dead in his cell at a federal jail in New York City about a month after he was arrested Investigators concluded he killed himself Maxwell later was convicted at trial and sentenced to years in prison The episode attracted attention because of Epstein and Maxwell s links to famous people including royals presidents and billionaires It also led to particular of the biggest conspiracy theories animating Trump s base