A group of civil rights advocates has filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department and the FBI, demanding that they provide them with documents that detail the investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case.
The advocacy group Democracy Forward is seeking materials regarding communications between senior administration officials regarding Epstein's documents, as well as any information about correspondence between Epstein and President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, appears to be the first of its kind. The group says it filed Freedom of Information Act requests in late July for communications related to the case, which have not yet been granted.
“The court must intervene immediately to ensure the public has access to the information it needs about this important situation,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of the pro-democracy organization.
The federal government often hides information related to criminal investigations from the public.
Democracy Forward has filed dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration, challenging a range of the president's policies and orders.
The case has received increased public attention after the Justice Department announced last month that it would not release additional documents about the case.
The decision has sparked frustration and outrage among internet sleuths, conspiracy theorists and Trump voters who were hoping to see evidence of a government cover-up.
The Trump administration has sought to release grand jury transcripts, but a Florida judge has blocked it. U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg said the request to release grand jury documents from 2005 and 2007 did not meet any of the exceptions under federal law that allow them to be made public.
A parallel request for another grand jury is currently pending in New York.
The House Oversight Committee also subpoenaed the Justice Department for documents on the investigation, part of a congressional probe that lawmakers say could reveal ties to Trump and other former top officials.
Since Epstein's death in 2019 in a New York City jail cell where he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, conservative conspiracy theorists have speculated about what information investigators gathered about Epstein and who else knew about his sexual abuse of minors.
Trump has denied having any knowledge of Epstein's crimes and has claimed to have cut ties with him long ago. He has repeatedly tried to circumvent a Justice Department decision not to release a full report on the
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
