Attorney Sarah Krissoff, who served as an assistant US attorney in Manhattan from 2008 to 2021, described the request in the cases against Epstein and the incarcerated British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell as “a distraction”.
“The president is trying to present himself as if he’s taking action here, but it’s not significant,” Krissoff shared with The Associated Press during a weekend interview.
Bader mentioned she didn’t think the government’s pursuit is aimed at meeting the public’s interest in exploring conspiracy theories, noting that it doesn’t outweigh the established principles of maintaining the secrecy of the grand jury process.
“I’m sure that all the line prosecutors who really sort of appreciate the secrecy and special relationship they have with the grand jury are not happy that DOJ is asking the court to release these transcripts,” she added.
Mitchell Epner, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice, called Trump’s comments and influence in the Epstein matter “unprecedented” and “extraordinarily unusual” because he is a sitting president.
He said it was not surprising that some former prosecutors are alarmed that the request to unseal the grand jury materials came two days after the firing of Manhattan Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey, who worked on the Epstein and Maxwell cases.
“If federal prosecutors have to worry about the professional consequences of refusing to go along with the political or personal agenda of powerful people, then we are in a very different place than I’ve understood the federal Department of Justice to be in over the last 30 years of my career,” he said.
Krissoff said the uncertain environment that has current prosecutors feeling unsettled is shared by government employees she speaks with at other agencies as part of her work in private practice.
“The thing I hear most often is this is a strange time. Things aren’t working the way we’re used to them working,” she said.
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