A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s bid to unseal grand jury materials used to charge disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein with sex trafficking, instead saying the government is the “logical party” to make any sweeping disclosures.

The Trump administration sought to make public the secret grand jury proceedings as pressure from the president’s political base mounted to increase transparency about the case, which has long captured the public imagination.

U.S. District Judge Richard Berman ruled that there is “clear precedent and sound purpose” for keeping grand jury records under seal, saying the government failed to show the Epstein papers demonstrate any “special circumstance” justifying their release.

He also noted that the government is already in possession of vast details about the case.

“The information contained in the Epstein grand jury transcripts pales in comparison to the Epstein investigation information and materials in the hands of the Department of Justice,” the judge wrote in a 14-page ruling.

Berman said the fact the administration has already undertaken a........

© The Hill