In a separate court, a judge denied a request from convicted Epstein associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, to view grand jury transcripts on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmaye said there is “no compelling necessity” for Maxwell to access the materials.

A Florida federal judge on Wednesday declined to release additional grand jury documents from the criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, marking the first roadblock in the Justice Department’s efforts to quell the public backlash over the handling of the case.