A US judge has denied a bid to unseal grand jury material from the investigation into disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Judge Robin Rosenberg found that releasing files from his Florida case, a request that was made last week as the Trump administration faced mounting pressure over its handling of Epstein files, would violate state law.
The decision came as the Wall Street Journal published a story alleging President Donald Trump is among hundreds whose names appear Epstein investigative documents held by the Justice Department.
A White House spokesman called the report “nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media”.
The paper reported Trump’s name appeared with many others, including other high-profile figures. Being named in these documents is not evidence of any wrongdoing.
The BBC has not been able to independently verify the allegation.
The WSJ reported the Justice Department told Trump that the documents included unverified hearsay about many people who socialised with Epstein, along with child pornography and victim information that should not be publicised.
Trump had directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of all grand jury materials, prompting the Justice Department to ask courts in Florida and New York to release files related to cases in both US states.
In her 12-page order on Wednesday, Judge Rosenberg ruled that the transcripts could not be released due to guidelines governing grand jury secrecy set by the federal appeals court which oversees Florida.
“The court’s hands are tied,” she ruled.
The judge said that the government’s argument last week that the files should be released due to “extensive public interest” and “transparency to the American public” did not meet the requirements for documents to be unsealed under “special circumstances”.
The transcripts in question stem from Florida’s investigation into Epstein in 2006 that led to him being charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution.
She also declined to transfer the issue to New York, where two judges are separately deciding whether to unseal transcripts related to Epstein’s 2019 sex-trafficking probe. That request is still pending.
Judge Rosenberg also ruled that a new case be opened so lawyers could make additional legal arguments for why the transcripts, which precede the federal case that led to Epstein’s death in jail while awaiting charges in 2019, should be released.
The decision came just before the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was informed by justice department officials in May that his name appeared in investigative documents related to Epstein.
Last week, Trump was asked by a reporter whether Attorney General Bondi had told him that his name is in the files.
“No, no, she’s – she’s given us just a very quick briefing,” Trump responded.
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump, called the report “nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media”.
The justice department similarly dismissed the report, calling it a “collection of falsehoods and innuendo” designed to push a false narrative and get clicks.
The ruling comes as the Trump administration seeks to meet Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex-trafficker who is serving 20 years in prison for helping Epstein abuse young girls.
While campaigning last year, Trump – who at one time had been a friend of Epstein – promised to release files relating to the disgraced financier.
But Bondi said earlier this month that the US justice department did not believe Epstein had a so-called “client list” that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did take his own life – despite conspiracies over his death.
The statement came after Bondi had touted she was set to announce major revelations about the case, including “a lot of names” and “a lot of flight logs” – a nod to those who travelled with the financier or who visited his private islands where many of his purported crimes were said to have occurred.
Her reversal prompted furious response from scores of Trump’s most ardent supporters who have called for Bondi to resign after failing to produce the list, which officials had previously claimed to have in their possession.
Democrats have seized on the Republican infighting to accuse the Trump administration of lying about its commitment to transparency.
On Tuesday, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson closed down Congress for summer break one day early, stalling legislative efforts to force the release of documents related to Epstein.
The move delays a politically fraught vote on the matter until September.
Also on Wednesday, a congressional committee issued a subpoena to Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, in order to force her to testify to Congress.
“The facts and circumstances surrounding both your and Mr Epstein’s cases have received immense public interest and scrutiny,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer wrote in a letter to Maxwell.
He added that her testimony is needed “to inform the consideration of potential legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations”.
The committee requested that her interview take place on 11 August the prison in Florida where she is being held.
Earlier on Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson warned that Maxwell could not be trusted to provide accurate testimony.
“Could she be counted on to tell the truth? Is she a credible witness?” Johnson said.
“I mean, this is a person who’s been sentenced to many, many years in prison for terrible, unspeakable, conspiratorial acts and acts against innocent young people.”
David Oscar Markus, a lawyer for Maxwell told BBC News said that Johnson’s concerns are “unfounded”.
If she chooses to testify, rather than invoke her constitutional right to remain silent, “she would testify truthfully, as she always has said she would”.
“As for the Congressional subpoena, Ms Maxwell is taking this one step at a time,” he added.
“She looks forward to her meeting with the Department of Justice, and that discussion will help inform how she proceeds.”
