DOJ Says 5.2 Million Epstein Documents Still Under Review, Release Likely Delayed

The U.S. Justice Department has disclosed that it still has 5.2 million pages of files related to Jeffrey Epstein left to review, a process now requiring 400 lawyers across four department offices, according to a government document reviewed by Reuters. The large-scale review — scheduled between January 5 and 23 — is expected to push the public release of the documents well beyond Congress’s December 19 deadline set under a new transparency law. The DOJ has said the material must first be examined and redacted to protect victims.

Attorneys from the Criminal Division, National Security Division, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan will each contribute to the effort, with lawyers expected to review up to 1,000 documents per day. Department leadership is offering telework flexibility and time-off incentives to encourage participation. The DOJ recently revealed it had uncovered over a million additional Epstein-linked records, further expanding the scope of the review and frustrating critics who say previous releases have been overly redacted.

The law mandating disclosure was passed with bipartisan support despite former President Donald Trump’s efforts to keep the files sealed. Epstein — a convicted sex offender with past social ties to Trump — was charged with sex trafficking in 2019 and later died in a New York jail, a death ruled a suicide. In a recent statement, the Justice Department said lawyers are “working around the clock” and will release the documents as soon as the required redactions are complete, cautioning that the sheer volume of material could mean the process will take several more weeks.

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