A lawsuit demanding secret government records tied to Jeffrey Epstein has landed in the courtroom of a judge Donald Trump can’t stand.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan — the same judge handling Trump’s federal election interference case — is now in charge of a new lawsuit filed by the Democracy Forward Foundation (DFF), according to New Republic. The group is trying to force the Department of Justice and FBI to hand over any communications about Epstein involving Trump officials, any contact between Trump and Epstein, and the infamous Epstein client list that former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi once said was on her desk.
DFF filed the lawsuit after submitting several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. They also asked the government to move fast, saying in their filing that the documents are a matter of “widespread and exceptional media interest in which there exist possible questions about the government’s integrity that affect public confidence.” They pointed to Trump’s refusal to rule out a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell — Epstein’s longtime partner and convicted accomplice — as another reason the public deserves answers now.
The group is specifically asking for “all materials prepared or compiled by DOJ officials for Attorney General Bondi’s review regarding the Jeffrey Epstein matter.” That would likely include Epstein’s client list — the names of powerful people he allegedly trafficked underage girls to.
Bondi once claimed she had that list in hand. Later, she backtracked and said it never existed.
Judge Chutkan isn’t new to high-profile cases. She’s ruled against Trump before and recently stopped the Environmental Protection Agency from holding back grant money. Now, she’s in charge of a case that could expose more about one of America’s darkest scandals — and possibly bring new heat on Trump.
