The U.S. Department of Justice says it will take several weeks to process newly discovered Epstein-related files based on transparency and court rules.
Published December 24, 2025
More than 1 million more documents potentially related to late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein have been discovered, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
The Justice Department said in a social media post Wednesday that it was reviewing the documents and that it would be “several additional weeks” before moving forward with the Congressional-mandated release of information.
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“The Southern District of New York and the FBI have notified the Department of Justice that they have discovered over one million additional documents potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein case,” the Justice Department said in a statement, adding that it needed more time to comply with the Epstein File Transparency Act, which was enacted last month. The law requires the government to release files on Epstein and his longtime confidante, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The Justice Department said in a statement that its lawyers were “working around the clock” to review the documents and make the redactions required under the law passed by Congress almost unanimously.
“Due to the volume of material, this process may take several more weeks. The Department of Justice continues to fully comply with federal law and President (Donald) Trump’s directives regarding the release of files,” the Justice Department said.
full disclosure
More than a dozen U.S. senators are calling on the Justice Department to investigate the agency’s failure to release all records related to Epstein by Friday’s deadline mandated by Congress, saying victims need “full disclosure” and “peace of mind” from an independent audit.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Trump’s Republican colleague, signed a letter Wednesday along with 11 Democrats asking Acting Inspector General Don Barthiome to audit the Justice Department’s compliance with the Epstein File Transparency Act.
“Given the (Trump) administration’s historical hostility to the release of files, the broader politicization of the Epstein case, and the failure to comply with the Epstein File Transparency Act, an independent assessment of compliance with statutory disclosure requirements is essential,” the senators wrote.
They said, “Full transparency is essential to identifying the members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein’s crimes.”
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, a co-sponsor of the transparency bill, wrote in a post on X on Wednesday that “the Department of Justice did violate the law by making illegal redactions and missing deadlines.”
Despite the deadline, the Justice Department said it plans to gradually release the records. The agency blamed the delay on the lengthy process of concealing survivors’ names and other identifying information.
More records were released over the weekend and Tuesday. The department has not given any indication of when further records will arrive.
“The reason we’re still reviewing documents and continuing to process is simply to protect the victims,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday on the NBC Television Network’s Meet the Press program.
“So the same people who are complaining about the lack of documents submitted on Friday are clearly the same people who don’t want us to protect victims,” he argued.
