The US Justice Department announced on Wednesday that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI have uncovered more than one million additional documents ‘potentially’ related to Jeffrey Epstein. The department said it may take “a few more weeks” to review and release them to the public. According to CNN, about 750,000 documents have already been reviewed and released, with roughly 700,000 more left to examine.
DOJ finds over 1 million more Epstein documents
In a post on X, the department said it received the documents from the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI, in line with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, other laws, and court orders. “The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI have informed the Department of Justice that they have uncovered over a million more documents potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. The DOJ has received these documents from SDNY and the FBI to review them for release, in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, existing statutes, and judicial orders.”
The post added, “We have lawyers working around the clock to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims, and we will release the documents as soon as possible. Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks. The Department will continue to fully comply with federal law and President Trump’s direction to release the files,” the post said.
Epstein files: Reactions from lawmakers and survivors
Lawmakers and survivors have criticised the Justice Department’s handling of the files. Some argue that redactions have been inconsistent. This includes shielding Epstein’s associates while other times revealing victims’ personal information.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who argued for the law requiring the release of Epstein files, vowed to continue pressuring the Justice Department. “After we said we are bringing contempt, the DOJ is now finding millions more documents to release. The Epstein class must go,” Khanna said.
Rep. Robert Garcia, a top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, called it outrageous that over a million documents were withheld. She said the committee wants to hear from whistleblowers or anyone at the DOJ who can help bring justice for survivors. “Every day we see lies, incompetence, missed deadlines, and illegal redactions. Pam Bondi needs to testify to Congress under oath to explain herself,” Garcia added. “Oversight Democrats also want to hear from whistleblowers or anyone at the DOJ who can assist us in bringing justice for the survivors. You are protected by the law.”
Why the delay?
The US Justice Department has been facing criticism for not meeting the December 19 deadline for full disclosure of Epstein-related documents. Officials say the delay is due to the need to carefully redact sensitive information, including the identities of victims and other legally protected details.
The department has already released documents in batches over the past week, including:
- The first major drop on the Friday deadline
- A second release on Saturday
- A third batch on Tuesday, which included several references to President Donald Trump
What’s in the Documents?
Some of the recently released documents included
- Evidence that Trump flew on Epstein’s private plane multiple times in the 1990s
- A subpoena of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club before the trial of Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in 2021
- A letter purportedly from Epstein to convicted sex offender Larry Nassar, which mentioned Trump. The Justice Department has said the letter is fake
- Other materials included photos of former President Bill Clinton with Epstein and Maxwell
Clinton’s spokesman Angel Ureña said: “There are two types of people here. The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We’re in the first.”
The documents also revealed the FBI’s efforts to identify other potential co-conspirators. While some names remain redacted, Ghislaine Maxwell, Jean-Luc Brunel, and Leslie Wexner are mentioned. Wexner has denied any involvement in Epstein’s crimes.
