New lawsuit on Epstein case seeks records of Trump administration communications

A board outlining the case against Ghislaine Maxwell is seen during a news conference to announce charges against Maxwell for her alleged role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein, July 2, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

WASHINGTON — A legal organization challenging President Donald Trump’s administration on multiple fronts filed a new lawsuit on Friday seeking the release of records detailing the handling of the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

The group Democracy Forward sued the Justice Department and the FBI for senior administration officials’ communication about Epstein documents and any regarding correspondence between him and Trump.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, appears to the be first of its kind. The group says it submitted requests under the Freedom of Information Act for the records related to communications about the case in late July that have not yet been fulfilled.

“The court should intervene urgently to ensure the public has access to the information they need about this extraordinary situation,” said Skye Perryman, the president and CEO of the Democratic-aligned group, in a statement. The federal government often shields records related to criminal investigations from public view.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Democracy Forward has filed dozens of lawsuits against Trump’s Republican administration, challenging policies and executive orders in areas including education, immigration and health care.

The Epstein case has been subject to heightened public focus since the Justice Department said last month it would not release additional documents from the case, despite assurance from Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The decision sparked frustration and anger among online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of Trump’s base who had hoped to see proof of a government cover-up.

The Trump administration has sought to unseal grand jury transcripts, though that has been denied by a judge in Florida. U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg in West Palm Beach said the request to release grand jury documents from 2005 and 2007 did not meet any of the extraordinary exceptions under federal law that could make them public.

A similar request for the work of a different grand jury is pending in New York.

The House Oversight Committee has also subpoenaed the Justice Department for files on the investigation, part of a congressional probe that lawmakers believe may show links to Trump and other former top officials.

Since Epstein’s 2019 death in a New York jail cell as he awaited trial for sex trafficking charges, conservative conspiracists have stoked theories about what information investigators gathered on the wealthy financier and who else knew about his sexual abuse of teenage girls.

Trump has denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and says he cut off their relationship long ago, and he has repeatedly tried to move past the Justice Department’s decision not to release a full accounting of the investigation. But lawmakers from both major political parties have refused to let it go.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this story.