A federal judge has delivered a stinging rebuke to President Donald Trump’s Justice Department, rejecting its request to unseal grand jury materials from the criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell — and accusing the government of using the motion as a political distraction.

U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, an Obama appointee, ruled Monday that the DOJ failed to demonstrate the “special circumstances” required to justify unsealing the confidential materials. The decision comes as Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel face mounting criticism for refusing to release additional Epstein-related files.

In a 31-page opinion, Engelmayer dismantled the government’s argument, writing that the materials in question “would not reveal new information of any consequence” and are largely “a matter of public record” with only “very minor exceptions.”

“The Government’s invocation of special circumstances… fails at the threshold,” the judge wrote. “Its entire premise — that the Maxwell grand jury materials would bring to light meaningful new information about Epstein’s and Maxwell’s crimes, or the Government’s investigation into them — is demonstrably false.”

Engelmayer noted the files do not expose new methods used by Epstein and Maxwell, reveal additional locations of their crimes, disclose undiscovered sources of their wealth, or shed new light on Epstein’s controversial death.

In a striking passage, the judge suggested that the DOJ’s real motive was political theater: “The one colorable argument… is that doing so would expose as disingenuous the Government’s public explanations for moving to unseal. A member of the public… might conclude that the Government’s motion… was aimed not at ‘transparency’ but at diversion — aimed not at full disclosure but at the illusion of such.”

The DOJ’s failed bid comes amid growing public frustration over the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files. Critics have accused the White House of selectively releasing information to control the political fallout, while withholding materials that could be damaging to allies.

With the court’s ruling, the Maxwell grand jury records will remain sealed, and the Justice Department’s push for “transparency” has backfired — sparking fresh questions about what Trump’s team hoped to gain from a move the judge now says was never about informing the public.