Publication of Epstein Hearings Likely to Be Delayed, Documents to Be Redacted

On Wednesday, Trump said that the accusations of his alleged ties to Epstein were the Democrats’ «new SCAM.» In an interview with the Real America’s Voice broadcaster, the US leader called those Republicans who had accused him of alleged ties to the late financier naive and unstable. On Friday, the president asked US Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the transcripts of the court hearings in the case against Epstein.

Trump’s request makes the release of new information unclear at best and subject to a complex legal review that could take months, the publication said.

An American news website notes that the grand jury documents cannot be released without permission from the federal court overseeing Epstein’s criminal case. The administration’s request will be heard in New York and Florida courts, the publication clarifies. At the same time, the Justice Department, according to the publication, has already notified the courts of its intentions to make appropriate redactions on victims and other personal data before releasing the transcripts.

Even if Trump and Bondi succeed, it is unclear whether the documents and transcripts will provide any new information beyond what is already known, the publication noted.

In 2019, Epstein was charged in the United States with sex trafficking of minors, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. According to prosecutors, between 2002 and 2005, he had sex with dozens of underage girls at his residences in New York and Florida. He paid them hundreds of dollars in cash, and then assigned some of the victims to serve as recruiters to bring in more girls. Some of the victims were as young as 14 years old.

In early July 2019, a Manhattan court in New York City, after hearing Epstein’s arraignment, ruled that he should remain in custody and not be released on bail. In late July of that year, it was reported that he was found in a prison cell «semi-conscious» and later died. The investigation revealed that the financier had committed suicide.