"He's terrified for his life": Candace Owens reacts after Judge rejects Trump's bid to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell's grand jury testimony

American political commentator and author Candace Owens shared her thoughts after a judge dismissed Trump administration’s plea to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell's grand jury testimony. According to a BBC News report from Monday, August 11, 2025, Judge Paul Engelmayer ruled that the grand jury materials in Maxwell's sex trafficking case will remain sealed.

The judge, per BBC News, emphasized that making the transcripts public “would not reveal new information of any consequence.” He also noted that it was important to maintain the secrecy of grand juries as they decide whether to indict people who are accused of crimes.

On Wednesday, August 13, 2025, Candace Owens took to YouTube and shared her view after the judge rejected Trump's bid to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell's records.

“This entire premise was just to hope that we moved on from it. Again, I'll ask the question, do you think that we are being too harsh in this matter and that Trump is terrified?... I can tell you what I think. I think he is terrified. I think he's terrified for his life. I really do,” she said.

The Trump Administration, per Time, requested that the transcript be unsealed to ease the anger among the public. President Donald Trump’s administration has been receiving backlash concerning the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The public has reportedly been demanding that all federal files on the deceased NYC-based financier be released.

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Candace Owens discusses Trump's demand for Ghislaine Maxwell's jury testimony transcript

The media personality, in her video on Wednesday, detailed Judge Paul Engelmayer's reason for not releasing Ghislaine Maxwell's grand jury testimony.

She noted that the judge believed that Trump was allegedly aware that the transcript would not reveal “any new” information about Epstein and Maxwell's crimes. She added that the judge also thought that the Trump administration only pushed for it as a “form of diversion.”

“They kind of made some noise and said, ‘Oh, we're going to demand Pam Bondi. We're going to demand that New York unseals the grand jury testimony.’ We told you that that was obviously a nothing burger… I don't know why Trump asked for this,” Candace Owens said.

The conservative political commentator also added that the judge wrote a thirty-one-page opinion, and that he was “pretty harsh” about President Donald Trump. Per Candace, the judge found the reasoning for Ghislaine Maxwell's transcript to be released “demonstrably false.”

Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell, per Time, is the daughter of British media mogul Robert Maxwell. She reportedly met Epstein in the late ‘80s or ‘90s after moving to New York City following her father’s death. Their relationship, at one point, was reportedly romantic.

Her connections among the wealthy and elite helped the NYC-based financier connect with notable figures, including Prince Andrew. Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell also reportedly facilitated in abuse of minor girls for about a decade, roughly between 1994 and 2004.

Sentencing For Ghislaine Maxwell Held In New York City Court (Image via Getty)

Per Time, prosecutors in the federal indictment against her argued that she groomed and recruited victims as young as 14 years old. As part of her recruitment efforts, she would allegedly take these girls on shopping trips, pay for their education, travel, and discuss their personal lives.

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Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking-related charges in December 2021 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She was found guilty of helping the deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein to recruit and abuse underage girls to engage in illegal sex activities.