“All files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal activity should be made public,” remarked Gov. Ron DeSantis on X.
Florida lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation that will expose all evidence and testimony made to a South Florida grand jury against sex trafficker and offender Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with only one misdemeanor count of soliciting a prostitute.
The HB117 was voted unanimously in Florida Congress and is now on DeSantis’ desk for signing.
The Florida governor confirmed the approval of the bill during a press conference. He said, “We’re going to sign the bill to release these Epstein grand jury materials down in Palm Beach.”
“You have this notorious offender all catering to all these rich people and yet nobody has been ever held accountable for any of this. How does that happen? How did the case go from, get taken out of state court and taken to federal where he got a slap on the wrist? What has happened since then? I just think it’s like, come on,” DeSantis added.
The governor also slammed the federal government for stonewalling the process and demanded the Biden administration to do more.
“And the federal government, Biden should release the Epstein files associated with the federal government, which is probably much more extensive,” the governor continued.
DeSantis’ press conference comes with his announcement that he will send another 76 Florida Highway Patrol troopers and 50 more National Guards to aid the security of the Texas-Mexico border.
The Palm Beach County grand jury case began in 2006 when then-state attorney Barry Krischer appealed for an investigation into Epstein’s sexual abuse of minors.
In the end, Epstein was able to arrange a plea bargain and instead of languishing in jail, he secured 12 months of house arrest and was even allowed to go in and out of his office.
Krischer was deeply frustrated with the grand jury’s failure to convict Epstein of sexual abuse of minors. From Palm Beach police, the state attorney went to the FBI.
“…the case landed on the desk of South Florida U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta,” according to an article by The Post.
“Two years later, Acosta negotiated the much-maligned secret deal that allowed Epstein to avoid federal prison.”
Florida governor praised the Florida congress for taking action to publicize grand jury material from the Florida state case.
He wrote on X, “While the federal government continues to stonewall accountability, I’m glad the Legislature has taken action to release the grand jury material from the Florida state case.”
The approval of SB 234 and HB 117 would alter the current laws in the state that allowed most grand jury trials a secret.
Sen. Tin Polsky (D-Boca Raton), who sponsored the SB 234 bill, said during the Senate session on Wednesday: “The public and the victims deserve to know if prosecutors steered the jury away from indicting Epstein on more severe charges.”
“There is also a compelling public need to know if this system worked or failed.”
The law would take effect on July 1 if Gov. DeSantis signed the bill, but the transcripts might be out sooner if a South Florida circuit judge approves a lawsuit filed by Palm Beach Post.
The Post filed a case against the Palm Beach County state attorney and the court clerk in 2019, to secure a court order unsealing the grand jury trial which returned only with minor charges against Epstein.
Well all the swamp must be nervous.
Having 2 sets of rules needs to be eliminated. They only exist to protect the powerful from accountability.