DOJ Says It Found 1M More Epstein Documents

The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a "few more weeks" to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with the deadline of last Friday set out in a new federal law.

• The Justice Department said in a social media post that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI "have uncovered over a million more documents" that could be related to the Epstein case—a stunning eleventh-hour development after department officials suggested months ago that they had undertaken a comprehensive review that accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related materials, the AP reports.

• The Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen US senators called on the Justice Department's watchdog to examine its failure to meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a Republican, told acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume in a letter that victims "deserve full disclosure" and the "peace of mind" of an independent audit.
• The post did not say when the Justice Department was informed of the newly uncovered files. In a letter last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors already had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, though many were copies of material already turned over by the FBI.
• The Justice Department said its lawyers are "working around the clock" to review the documents and remove victims names and other identifying information as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted last month that requires the government to open its files on Epstein and the convicted Maxwell. "We will release the documents as soon as possible," the department said. "Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks."

• The announcement came amid increasing scrutiny and criticism of the Justice Department's staggered release of Epstein-related records, including from Epstein victims and members of Congress. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, a co-sponsor of the transparency act, posted Wednesday on X, "DOJ did break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline."
• Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, the act's co-sponsor, said he and Massie would "continue to keep the pressure on," CNN reports. "After we said we are bringing contempt, the DOJ is now finding millions more documents to release," he said.