US Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17), coauthor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, announced that a third federal judge has approved a Department of Justice request to unseal records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
On December 10, Judge Richard Berman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted the request to release materials that include grand jury records, investigative files, and documents from a 2019 investigation into Epstein.
“This is promising, but I will be watching closely for any attempts to delay or prevent the release of the files by the Department of Justice. My legislation requires that the files be released by December 19th. It also requires DOJ to declassify information to the fullest extent possible with redactions to protect survivors. Anything that is redacted has to be accompanied by a written justification published in the Federal Register and submitted to Congress,” Rep. Khanna said in a statement.
Emphasizing that the bill was a “bipartisan effort” signed by President Trump, Rep. Khanna added, “I hope Attorney General Pam Bondi will put the survivors above politics and the interests of the Epstein class. The public deserves full transparency, and the survivors deserve justice.”
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According to the statement, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer granted a similar DOJ request on December 9 to unseal grand jury transcripts and evidence from a New York sex trafficking case involving Maxwell. Engelmayer noted that he “changed his position” on releasing the material in light of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
On December 5, U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith also authorized the unsealing of grand jury transcripts from a federal investigation in Florida into Epstein, writing that the act overrides prior secrecy rules governing grand jury materials.
