The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has disclosed that there are still 5.2 million pages of Epstein files awaiting review. To assist in the process, 400 lawyers from four different department offices are required until late January, as outlined in a government document examined by Reuters on Tuesday. This development is anticipated to delay the final release of the documents beyond the initial expectations following a December 19 deadline mandated by Congress.
The White House and the Justice Department did not respond immediately to requests for comment from Reuters. At the behest of the Trump administration, the Justice Department has been instructed to release the files associated with criminal investigations of Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased financier and convicted sex offender who had connections with U.S. President Donald Trump in the 1990s. This directive aligns with a transparency law recently passed by Congress.
The document specified that the Criminal Division, National Security Division, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan are collectively supplying 400 attorneys for the review process, a more precise figure than earlier estimates from the department. The review is scheduled to take place in January, with the Department offering telework options and time off incentives for volunteers. Lawyers aiding in the review are expected to dedicate three to five hours daily to scrutinize approximately 1,000 documents per day.
Last week, the DOJ announced the discovery of over a million additional documents potentially linked to Epstein. Despite these disclosures, the released information has been heavily redacted, leading to frustration among some Republicans and failing to mitigate a scandal that could impact the party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The law, which received broad bipartisan support in Congress, mandates the public release of all Epstein-related files, despite Trump’s efforts to keep them sealed for months. The statute stipulated that all documents were to be made public by December 19, with redactions implemented to protect victims.
In a public message shared last week, the Justice Department affirmed, “We have attorneys diligently working to review and redact the documents to safeguard victims, and we will release them promptly. Given the substantial volume of material, this process may require a few additional weeks.”
Donald Trump acknowledged his social acquaintance with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, asserting that their association ceased in the mid-2000s and that he was unaware of the financier’s illicit activities. Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 for soliciting an individual under 18 for prostitution. In 2019, the Justice Department charged him with sex trafficking. Epstein was found deceased in a New York jail in 2019, with his death officially ruled as a suicide.
