DOJ Says It Need Weeks More to Release Epstein Files After Missing Deadline/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The Justice Department has delayed releasing Epstein-related files, citing the discovery of over 1 million new documents. This comes after missing a congressional deadline and facing bipartisan pressure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Lawmakers and victims are demanding full transparency, calling the delay a cover-up amid redactions and secrecy.
Epstein Files Delay Quick Looks:
- DOJ missed December 20 deadline to release Epstein records
- Over 1 million new documents just “discovered” by FBI and DOJ
- Epstein Files Transparency Act mandates public release with redactions
- Bipartisan lawmakers call for DOJ Inspector General audit
- Critics, including Sen. Schumer, call it a “massive cover-up”
- Some released documents link Trump and Prince Andrew to Epstein
- White House defends DOJ and Attorney General Pam Bondi
- Victims and public demand full, unredacted disclosure
- DOJ promises more batches in coming weeks
- Released documents include grand jury interviews, call logs, emails
Justice Department Says It May Need Weeks More to Release Epstein Files After Missing Deadline
Deep Look
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department acknowledged Wednesday that it may require a “few more weeks” to complete the release of all federal records related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after unexpectedly uncovering more than a million potentially relevant documents. The announcement came on Christmas Eve and marks a significant delay in meeting a congressionally mandated deadline.
The disclosure of additional material followed weeks of public pressure and criticism from lawmakers, including a bipartisan group of U.S. senators who urged the Justice Department’s watchdog to investigate the missed deadline. In a letter to Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume, the senators said that victims of Epstein’s crimes “deserve full disclosure” and “peace of mind” through an independent audit of the department’s handling of the documents.
In a statement posted on social media, the Justice Department said that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI “have uncovered over a million more documents” that could be connected to investigations of Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The revelation represented an unexpected turn from earlier statements suggesting that federal officials had already conducted a comprehensive review of materials.
In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a “truckload of evidence” had been turned over to her office after she directed the FBI to hand over all Epstein files. At that time, she said she was acting on information that the FBI in New York possessed “thousands of pages” of documents. By July, the FBI and Justice Department issued a memo indicating that their review was “exhaustive” and that no further evidence needed to be released, a sudden reversal from earlier promises of transparency from the Trump administration.
It was not clear when the department first became aware of the newly identified documents.
Last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote to lawmakers that federal prosecutors in Manhattan already had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into both Epstein and Maxwell, though many were duplicates of material previously submitted by the FBI.
The department said its legal teams are “working around the clock” to review the newly identified records and redact victims’ names and other identifying information as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted last month that compels public disclosure of the files.
“We will release the documents as soon as possible,” the Justice Department said. “Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.”
Criticism of the staggered and heavily redacted release of records has grown in recent days, drawing scrutiny from both victims’ advocates and members of Congress.
Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky and one of the chief architects of the law requiring the document release, posted on X that the Justice Department “did break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline.” Fellow sponsor Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, said he and Massie would “continue to keep the pressure on,” and noted that the department has released additional documents after lawmakers threatened contempt proceedings.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, criticized the timing and scope of the department’s announcement.
“A Christmas Eve news dump of ‘a million more files’ only proves what we already know: this administration is engaged in a massive cover‑up,” Schumer said. “The question Americans deserve answered is simple: what are they hiding — and why?”
The White House pushed back against criticism, defending the Justice Department’s efforts. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement that “President Trump has assembled the greatest cabinet in American history,” and highlighted Attorney General Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Blanche for their work implementing the president’s agenda.
In the days since the initial release, the Justice Department has posted multiple batches of documents online. Many of the records already made public — including photographs, interview transcripts, call logs, and court records — were either previously available or heavily redacted, often without clear context. Among the newly disclosed materials were grand jury transcripts in which FBI agents described interviews with girls and young women who said they were paid to perform sex acts on Epstein’s behalf.
Additional newly released documents include a January 2020 note from a federal prosecutor stating that President Trump had flown on Epstein’s private plane more frequently than previously known. Emails between Maxwell and an individual identified only by the initial “A,” widely understood to refer to Britain’s Prince Andrew, were also published, including one that read, “How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?”
The senators calling for an inspector general audit include Republicans and Democrats such as Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Adam Schiff of California, Dick Durbin of Illinois, and Cory Booker and Andy Kim of New Jersey, among others.
Their letter cited concerns about “historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” and called for a neutral review of the department’s compliance with the law.
They wrote that full transparency is “essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein’s crimes.”
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