Miami, 6 December (H.S.):

A Florida federal judge has authorized the US Justice Department to unseal grand jury transcripts from its long-dormant sex trafficking probe into Jeffrey Epstein, potentially exposing the late financier's connections to influential figures including President Donald Trump.

US District Judge Rodney Smith approved the disclosure Friday, citing a recent congressional mandate that overrides traditional secrecy rules for such materials.

The order stems from the Epstein Files Transparency Act (H.R. 4405), signed into law by Trump on November 19, 2025, which compels the release of all unclassified Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell investigation files within 30 days. Trump initially opposed the bill but reversed course just before its passage, despite his prior claims of severing ties with Epstein well before the financier's 2019 arrest and jailhouse death—officially ruled a suicide.

The transcripts, from 2005-2007 inquiries, are anticipated by Trump's critics and supporters alike, who suspect a cover-up of Epstein's elite network and circumstances surrounding his demise in a Manhattan facility. Both political opponents and base voters have demanded transparency, amid Trump's shifting narrative—from amplifying conspiracy theories pre-2024 reelection to dismissing the files as a Democratic distraction.

Maxwell, Epstein's convicted associate, remains imprisoned for sex trafficking, while the release could reignite scrutiny over high-profile associations and unresolved questions from the scandal that has plagued Trump's administration for months.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar