Judge denies request to unseal Epstein files

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Despite efforts by the Trump administration to unseal portions of the government’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation, a federal judge again stopped those moves.

That development comes as Congress will get new documents in the case Friday.

This was the third time a federal judge has rejected the White House’s efforts to unseal portions of the Epstein files.

A federal judge on Wednesday cited victim privacy as a major concern when rejecting White House efforts to unseal parts of the Jeffrey Epstein files, also saying the government already has hundreds of thousands of documents it could release on its own, compared to the roughly seventy pages the judge was considering.

“I think the administration knows this is what Congress wants — Republicans and Democrats. And President Trump has said clearly, he wants to release all the documents. So, we’re going to get the documents,” said Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.).

The White House says it wants to release as much information on Epstein as possible, part of an effort to appease GOP-base voters for whom the Epstein case has become a major focus, but Democrats still aren’t convinced they’ll get the full picture from the White House.

“Why are they having to release them in a slow drip and selectively? And so, I have a lot of concerns about their plan right now,” said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.).

As House Republican’s own investigation into the late Jeffrey Epstein continues, they’re grilling officials this week, like former attorney general Bill Barr, behind closed doors.

“He was pretty confident that there was nothing in there pertaining to President Trump that would be anything negative,” said Comer.

House Republicans also issued subpoenas for former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton but are not seeking to interview former Trump officials some Democrats say they’d like to hear from.

“..but they’re not bringing in Alex Acosta because he was a Trump appointee. And they’re certainly not bringing in the most important person in all of this, which is the AG Pam Bondi who promised all of this in the first place,” said Subramanyam.

Acosta is the former federal prosecutor who negotiated a controversial plea deal with Epstein and served as President Trump’s labor secretary during his first term in office.

Top Republicans say they’re willing to hear from anyone who might shed more light on Epstein’s dealings and who may have been involved.

“We’ll bring in everyone we think can add information to the investigation,” said Comer.

The White House hasn’t said whether it will make a fourth attempt to release more of the Epstein files.