US judge lets more Epstein grand jury materials be made public

A US judge in Manhattan on Wednesday allowed for the public release of records from a grand jury investigation into Jeffrey Epstein because of a law recently passed by Congress, the latest in a string of similar rulings.

The order by US District Judge Richard Berman came one day after another judge granted a similar request in the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in prison for trafficking underage girls with Epstein.

The rulings could lead to disclosure of materials that shed more light on Epstein's ties to rich and powerful people, including President Donald Trump.

Berman in August had denied a prior Justice Department request to unseal the grand jury materials, which are normally permanently sealed by law, citing “possible threats to victims’ safety and privacy".

But the judge said in Wednesday's order that disclosure was now warranted because of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump signed into law last month.

Many Trump voters believe his administration has covered up Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and obscured details surrounding his death in a Manhattan jail in 2019 as he faced federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein's death was officially ruled a suicide.

Trump, who said he ended his friendship with Epstein long before the financier’s 2019 arrest, had opposed the release of the files but reversed course shortly before lawmakers voted on legislation.