Transcripts of grand jury that indicted Epstein ex-girlfriend Maxwell won't be unsealed, judge says

NEW YORK (AP) — Transcripts of the secret grand jury testimony that led to the sex trafficking indictment of Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell shouldn’t be released, a judge ruled Monday in a stinging decision suggesting the Justice Department's real motive for wanting them unsealed was to fool the public with an “illusion” of transparency.

Judge Paul A. Engelmayer said in a written decision that federal law almost never allows for the release of grand jury materials and that making the documents public casually was a bad idea.