The Justice Department has 5.2 million pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein in its possession, and the investigation will take several more weeks to complete, multiple news outlets have reported.
The New York Times first reported it late Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
It will take until at least January 20 to complete the review of the vast number of files, the Times reported. A review process for the remaining records will take place from January 5th to January 23rd, according to a government document reported by Reuters on Wednesday morning.
The updated schedule is likely to invite further criticism from lawmakers who have already accused the Trump administration of ignoring legal deadlines to release files on late notorious sex offender Epstein.
The total number of records to be disclosed is unclear, but the latest reported figure is much higher than previously indicated and appears to further undermine a July memo in which the Justice Department claimed it had conducted a “thorough review” of files on Epstein.
Asked for comment, both the White House and the Justice Department referred CNBC to an X post from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who said lawyers were “working around the clock throughout the holidays, including Christmas and New Year’s, to review the documents in compliance with federal law.”
“This is truly an all-hands-on-deck approach, and we are asking as many attorneys as possible to take the time to review the remaining documents,” Blanche wrote, adding, “While the necessary redactions to protect victims will take time, we cannot stop the release of these materials.”
President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill in mid-November requiring the government to release unclassified records from the investigation into Epstein by December 19th.
The Justice Department released thousands of records that day, but Blanche suggested that more records would be released in the “coming weeks.”
“We expect hundreds of thousands more,” Blanche said at the time.
On Christmas Eve, the Justice Department revealed that more than 1 million additional documents potentially related to Epstein had been “discovered” and that it would take “an additional number of weeks” to release them.
A document cited by Reuters on Wednesday said 400 additional lawyers would be brought in from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and National Security Agency, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan.
The FBI declined to comment. Other departments and the Manhattan office did not immediately respond to CNBC’s efforts.
Lawyers involved are required to review up to 1,000 documents per day over a period of three to five hours, and volunteers are offered incentives such as vacation pay and work-from-home options, according to the documents.
After releasing the first batch of files, the Justice Department quickly came under fire for failing to create required files and redacting more information than was legally required.
The department says it “does not redact the names of any politicians” and insists it is in full compliance with federal law. Despite this, the Democratic Party has indicated its intention to take legal action against the administration for alleged violations.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, a former friend of Epstein’s who has frequently complained about the public attention to his files, accused the administration of conducting a “cover-up to protect Donald Trump.”
