Epstein victims voice concerns over Trump administration’s bid to unseal grand jury records
Victims warn against politicizing records, urge protection of their identities
ISTANBUL
Two anonymous victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein raised concerns with a US judge about the Trump administration’s request to unseal grand jury testimony, Axios reported Tuesday.
Neither victim asked to keep the files sealed, but urged the court to remove any identifying information to protect their privacy.
"I am not some pawn in your political warfare," one victim wrote in the letter. "What you have done and continue to do is eating at me day after day as you help to perpetuate this story indefinitely."
The other victim said, "I am not sure the highest priority here is the victims, justice for the victims, or combatting child exploitation, or at least I do not feel this way," adding that “wealthy men” are the real priority.
One victim asked US District Judge Richard Berman to appoint a third party to review the documents to ensure that no victim’s name or image is disclosed, while the other requested that victims’ attorneys review the redactions.
The Trump administration on Tuesday requested the court rule by this Friday on unsealing grand jury exhibits, with the Justice Department saying that the government notified all but one victim mentioned in the transcripts.
Epstein mingled with the wealthy and powerful, including prominent politicians, for decades before he pleaded guilty in 2008 to felony solicitation and procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution.
Trump's MAGA or Make America Great Again allies, the phrase he popularized during his presidential runs, have for years loudly clamored for the release of the government's Epstein records as they speculate that the files incriminate high-profile individuals.
Many have criticized Trump’s push to release just the grand jury records, saying they are far less detailed than the full case files, whose release they are seeking, with redactions to protect Epstein’s victims.
Epstein, awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, was found dead on Aug. 10, 2019, in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. The death was ruled a suicide.
