JUST IN: Judge Unseals Epstein Grand Jury Documents
Source: MEDIAite
Dec 5th, 2025, 2:43 pm
A federal judge has ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s trial.
Judge Rodney Smith’s decision came after Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed by President Donald Trump in November.
In its motion, the government argued, “The United States seeks to unseal the grand jury materials in this case and publicly release them, as well as lift any preexisting protective orders that would prevent the Department of Justice from releasing the materials.” Smith granted the motion providing for the release of “unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials that relate to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
So far, both House Democrats and Republicans have released a trove of Epstein documents, including emails that mentioned Trump over a thousand times. One email included Epstein saying that he knew just “how dirty Donald is” and another said that Trump “knew about the girls.” Trump repeatedly waffled on releasing the files before giving in to bipartisan pressure. The president maintains he did nothing wrong.
Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/just-in-judge-unseals-epstein-grand-jury-documents/
Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.693993/gov.uscourts.flsd.693993.8.0.pdf
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SSJVegeta
(2,146 posts)😒 🤔
greatauntoftriplets
(178,568 posts)SSJVegeta
(2,146 posts)🤞
KS Toronado
(22,501 posts)thinking he had everything under control, hell I guess that's how he looks at everything. 
SergeStorms
(19,853 posts)Lord knows they've given Krasnov nearly everything his tiny, disicated heart desires.
onenote
(45,920 posts)
pat_k
(12,610 posts)A law that directs the release is quite a different animal than a subpoena that would be subject to DOJ guidelines. The transparency act "trumps" those guidlines.
I believe the regime is clueless that there is a difference, especially in light of their failure to recognize the weight of any law.
moniss
(8,537 posts)
Bayard
(28,161 posts)trump already thinks he has a magic wand to classify and unclassify documents--remember the ones he took to his southern palace.
PuraVidaDreamin
(4,430 posts)What little is left of it.
pat_k
(12,610 posts)Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Epstein Files Transparency Act''.
SEC. 2. RELEASE OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
(a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall, subject to subsection (b), make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys' Offices, that relate to....
moniss
(8,537 posts)"suddenly" become "classified".
pat_k
(12,610 posts)And so many people are aware of what is in these files, when key documents aren't included, there will be whistleblowers and lawsuits brought.
Yes, as with everything, they will slow things down as much as they are able. But ultimately, I think we are looking at a "secret" that hundreds of people are a party to. And such secrets are very hard to keep a lid on.
The regime will play all the games it can, but the fact is, you can't classify things willy-nilly to evade the law. And the transparency act is a lot clearer and more specific than FOIA (under which many challenges to the classification of materials have been brought). I would guess that judges worth their salt will give greater deference to ensuring the intent of the law is carried out than executive branch assertions of some flimsy "national security" concern.
moniss
(8,537 posts)word "can't" it really means to normal people the same as "shouldn't" and so we don't because we understand the law restraining us. In the case of the fascists "can't" means "go ahead and do what you want until someone makes you stop".
On this, I think we'll see concerted -- and often successful -- efforts to derail the regime's schemes
And with every scheme thwarted, doubts will take hold even among trumpublicans. What are they working so hard to hide?
moniss
(8,537 posts)just go along with the MAGA garbage out of fear of Crumb the 1st blasting them on social media are realizing that they need to position themselves at least for a time after he is gone and they may be thinking that at his age and with his health issues it may not be a full 3 years or longer from now. I think some of the ones "leaving" Congress now may come back once the threat is no longer there. It's not that they won't still be awful in their politics and policies but I think it will be less than it is now. Still not acceptable but just not like the Gates of Hell.
pat_k
(12,610 posts)The regime can believe what it wants, but the fact is, you can't classify things willy-nilly to evade the law. And the transparency act is a lot clearer and more specific than FOIA (under which many challenges to the classification of materials have been brought). I would guess that judges worth their salt will give greater deference to ensuring the intent of the law is carried out than executive branch assertions of some flimsy "national security" concern.
moniss
(8,537 posts)any and all avenues to keep hidden what they want while "releasing" the materials. Even if after court battles and SC review it comes out they can drag this out for a long time. The SC could stay any lower court order for release of "redacted" items and then take a full year or longer to hear the case themselves. Keeping in mind that an SC decision does not have be "release or not release". They could simply claim they found "error" in the lower court case and remand it back. In which case more time could drag on and that second bite at the apple in the lower court could also be stayed and appealed to the SC again for another year or so of delay.
Then might come the refusal to comply with the ultimate decision and the subsequent court wranglings about forcing compliance and all the appeals of those decisions. The bottom line is that to expect compliance just because something is written in law or has adjudicated cases in courts is not the reality of these fascists. Look at their "sort of" compliance with court orders on immigration etc.
Look at the "sort of" compliance of Crumb the 1st in the documents investigation, behavior during civil trials etc. Look at his "sort of " compliance with the restrictions on his living at his ghastly horror in Florida.
Their whole thing is always delay, delay by any means possible even if eventual defeat is a certainty.
pat_k
(12,610 posts)That said, I think we may be surprised to find their efforts don't end up buying them more than 9 months or so before we see some seriously damaging Epstein-related revelations. The sheer number of people who know what is in these files is going to make it very difficult to keep a lid on the worst of it for a protracted period.
On this -- and on so much else -- it is very difficult to see how they can possibly turn their downward trajectory around. And as they become weaker and more unpopular, we will see more trumpublican defections. It is a vicious downward spiral. But they are going to do everything in their power to enrich themselves and their cronies, and advance their efforts to corrupt the institutions and processes by which our will is measured and implemented, employing ever more extreme schemes all the way to the bitter end.
Perhaps the only thing that is a good bet is that things (not just Epstein, but everything) are going to get a lot uglier as they go down.
moniss
(8,537 posts)if the lawyers like Blanche are figuring out a timeline for how to stall things out the longest and get them just past the mid-terms if they can. I completely agree with your assessment that a lot of people know what's in the files. It may be that only a few have the entire picture and some others have varying degrees of knowledge. What they can't control and perhaps didn't figure on was the estate bringing out all of this stuff that they have. They can't control the release of that and the "birthday card" is a good example of them getting smacked and being unprepared.
I think the estate has read the handwriting on the wall and knows it is better to just cooperate and get all of this out there rather than being seen as trying to hold back on things. The intelligence agencies in other countries must have info that we haven't seen given the international nature of Epstein. I see that the investigators in the US Virgin Islands have also now started handing over materials.
Obviously some people have been scared to come right out publicly and say what they know but as more comes out from Congress and things begin to come from the grand jury and the FBI/Treasury we may see a few brave souls do more than speak "off the record" with reporters.
So it looks to be that the dam has broken, or at least badly leaking already, and the steady drip we've been getting is turning into a stream and might become a gusher. He is now much like a rat in a room and getting deeper into the corner. His increased lashing out at reporters and on social media is indicative of feeling pressure and increased desperation. It must be pure hell to be a low level staffer in the White House right now and hearing the outbursts etc.
A week or so ago when I posted about his outbursts at reporters showed him on video closer to losing it than ever seen before by the public a person reminded me about the story of how he lost it on that Secret Service driver on January 6th and lunged at him over the seat. That's the kind of "losing it" I expect we'll see more of. Guys like him are wound weird anyway and I've unfortunately been around a few who were a "controlled act" under most circumstances but if something really was hitting them hard they could all of a sudden snap. I've seen guys suddenly snap and grab a hammer and start beating the hell out of machine that pissed them off. Blind rage, screaming at the machine and beating it at length. The kinds of guys who are all cool and smiles when in public or around neighbors but the second they go in their house and close the door it's like a light switch turning on and then this angry raging bully comes out and goes after the wife and kids. I knew guys that were in marriages where it was the wife who was like that.
Lovie777
(21,353 posts)
Ouroborosnek
(638 posts)Curious to see what will be inside
wiggs
(8,608 posts)mentioned. Probably a lot of things we already know about?
hadEnuf
(3,490 posts)that is not already known.
duckworth969
(1,046 posts)WH cool with the release tells you everything you need to know.
liberalla
(10,750 posts)patphil
(8,584 posts)It's not going to give us a full picture of the horror of Epstein's operation, and probably won't provide strong evidence about anyone other than Epstein, since the Grand Jury was only looking to indict him.
sheshe2
(95,203 posts)The woman who is looking for a get out of jail free card.
SSJVegeta
(2,146 posts)
Scrivener7
(57,994 posts)Justice matters.
(9,202 posts)everything exposing their dear hair fuhrer will be classified so they won't have to release them.
NJCher
(42,170 posts)patk, about the 3rd one down.
Justice matters.
(9,202 posts)it goes to the Court, where a ruling will be made in how many months? Then if the ruling is against him, he will go to his corrupt six, who will issue a ruling in his favor at the end of July?
We've all seen how that plot goes again (I truly hope not and I will apologize if I'm proven wrong in the end).
NJCher
(42,170 posts)I think not.
You are grossly over exaggerating.
travelingthrulife
(4,075 posts)Justice matters.
(9,202 posts)Raven123
(7,371 posts)
J_William_Ryan
(3,229 posts)Trump and his fellow criminals are above the law.
Iwasthere
(3,461 posts)Do we have to wait all the way up till the 18th? They're working overti.e trying to find a solution. Perhaps a plane from Venezu will fly right into the building whete they're housed. They are NEVER going to allow us the see tRump with the naked near preteen girls and the horrific videos.
popsdenver
(1,297 posts)will be so redacted/censored like the Mueller report was, that it will be way beyond useless.
Just look at all the time that has passed..............
the only way they will allow it to show Trump's involvement in pedophillia is if the Repub Party wants to have it surface to get him the hell out of there. And also put him through hell for all the grief he has caused the Republican Party and most certainly will in the future.........
LilElf70
(1,292 posts)is nothing but fluff. I want the real stuff. The stuff that will STICK to the wall. The stuff that will get him impeached, prosecuted, and imprisoned.
AllaN01Bear
(28,268 posts)
Wiz Imp
(8,460 posts)anyone other than Epstein and Maxwell. Epstein was the only target of the grand jury investigation as far as we know so why would other people be mentioned? If there was clear evidence presented to the grand jury concerning illegal activities by others, it's likely those people would have been targeted as well.