DOJ finds over 1M additional records tied to Epstein, says release 'may take a few more weeks'

WASHINGTON, DC: The Justice Department said on Wednesday, December 24, that it has uncovered “over a million more documents” potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, significantly expanding the volume of material still under review and pushing back the timeline for full public release.

In a post on X, the department said that the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI had informed it that additional records had been identified and turned over to the department for review.

“We have lawyers working around the clock to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims, and we will release the documents as soon as possible,” the Justice Department said.

DOJ says weeks-long review ahead after finding new records

The department cautioned that the sheer size of the newly discovered cache meant that the review process could take “a few more weeks.”

It stated that the documents needed to be carefully vetted to comply with federal law, including mandatory redactions to safeguard survivors’ identities.

The DOJ reiterated that it would "continue to fully comply with federal law and President Trump’s direction to release the files."

Under the 'Epstein Files Transparency Act', the Justice Department faced a December 19 deadline to release all unclassified materials related to the Epstein investigation.

While an initial set of records was made public on the deadline day, officials acknowledged that not all documents were ready for release.

DOJ to continue rolling releases of Epstein files

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche previously said that remaining materials would be released on a rolling basis. Since then, the department has published multiple batches of records.

On Tuesday, the DOJ released another substantial tranche, consisting of more than 11,000 files totaling nearly 30,000 pages. Earlier releases included thousands of photographs, court filings, grand jury transcripts, internal FBI and DOJ records, emails, news clippings, videos and other materials linked to the case.

Despite these disclosures, critics argued that the department had fallen short of the law’s transparency requirements.

Bipartisan lawmakers escalate pressure

The staggered releases have prompted sharp criticism from lawmakers like Democratic Rep Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who co-sponsored the legislation mandating the disclosures.

Khanna and Massie have said that they are moving to bring charges of inherent contempt of Congress against Attorney General Pam Bondi, citing the department’s failure to release all required materials by the statutory deadline.

Khanna described the partial release as “a slap in the face of survivors,” while Massie confirmed that contempt proceedings were under consideration.

In a statement released on Tuesday night, Khanna accused the Justice Department of obstructing justice by withholding records.

“Americans deserve the truth. DOJ’s refusal to follow the law and release the full files is an obstruction of justice. They also need to release the FBI witness interviews which name other men, so the public can know who was involved,” Khanna said.

Khanna added that the department was “spending more time protecting the Epstein class than the survivors,” noting that victims’ names are already required by law to be redacted.