Bad news for Donald Trump: president’s attempt to distance himself from Epstein controversy hits latest obstacle

A federal judge in Florida on Wednesday, July 23, rejected a Justice Department request to unseal the testimonies of witnesses who appeared before the federal grand jury in the Jeffrey Epstein case between 2005 and 2007.

Judge denies Trump’s Epstein request

The DOJ’s motion came last Friday, July 18, after the administration of President Donald Trump vowed to make the material public in an effort to clear his name. The promise followed mounting criticism over his ties to the disgraced financier and his alleged appearance on the so-called “Epstein list” – an accusation he has firmly denied.

The department argued that the material should be made public due to the intense national interest surrounding the sex trafficking and child abuse investigation into Epstein, which was led by the DOJ in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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However, nearly a week after the filing, Judge Robin Rosenberg denied the request, stating that the DOJ’s reasoning did not qualify as an exception to grand jury secrecy, as outlined by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which includes Florida.

Legal analysts told NBC News that the swift ruling could prompt the Trump administration to formally appeal to the 11th Circuit to overturn Rosenberg’s decision.

Trump and Epstein’s complicated past

Jeffrey Epstein’s social circle famously included high-profile political figures – among them Donald Trump, who was photographed with Epstein at various events. After Epstein was charged with child sex abuse and trafficking, Trump claimed they were not as close as people believed, despite public records suggesting otherwise.

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Not long after Epstein pleaded guilty to the charges, he was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019. While his death was officially ruled a suicide, speculation has persisted that he was murdered to stop him from naming others involved in what became known as the “Lolita Express” network.

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