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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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Federal prosecutors in New York and the FBI have turned over more than 1 million additional documents potentially tied to the Jeffrey Epstein case to the Department of Justice (DOJ), which said it is reviewing the records for possible public release under federal law.
The DOJ said lawyers are reviewing the material to make required redactions to protect victims and comply with court orders, a process expected to take several weeks because of the volume of documents. The department said it intends to release the records as soon as legally possible.
"The DOJ has received these documents from SDNY [Southern District of New York] and the FBI to review them for release, in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, existing statutes, and judicial orders," the DOJ wrote on X on Wednesday afternoon. "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. Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks. The Department will continue to fully comply with federal law and President Trump’s direction to release the files."
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Newsweek reached out to the FBI and DOJ for further comment on the sourcing of the latest files via email and contact form Wednesday afternoon.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration originally had a deadline of December 19 to release all files related to the Epstein case, per a congressional bill signed into law by President Donald Trump that came about following significant pressure from lawmakers for the president and Attorney General Pam Bondi to honor campaign promises of transparency. While files were released, many pages were heavily redacted, prompting further accusations that the DOJ was keeping Trump's name out of sight.
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What To Know
On Tuesday, the DOJ published another 30,000 pages of documents, photographs and other material related to Epstein. They included hundreds of references to Trump, and two subpoenas to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Earlier Wednesday, a group of senators called on the DOJ to examine its failure in meeting the original Friday deadline to release the files. The group, made up of 11 Democrats and one Republican, wrote to Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume, saying victims deserved full disclosure.
Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, and Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, vowed to keep the pressure on to ensure the DOJ meets its legal obligations. The DOJ has said it is working as fast as it can without revealing victims' identities.
It was not immediately clear when the new files from New York had been flagged, or what was contained in them.
So far, files have included letters, photographs, interview transcripts, call logs, court records and other documents related to investigations into the late financier, who was accused of running a widespread sex trafficking operation involving young women and girls for a number of years.
A New Yorker, Epstein spent part of his time in the city, as well as in Florida and on his private island. Investigations took place in Florida and New York during the 2000s and 2010s, with Epstein eventually arrested in 2019. He died in prison before his trial took place.
What People Are Saying
Representative Thomas Massie, on X on Wednesday: "DOJ did break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline. By the way, who’s controlling the DOJ X account on Christmas Eve and using words like “dope” to refer to reporters?"
Representative Ro Khanna, on X on Wednesday: "After we said we are bringing contempt, the DOJ is now finding millions more documents to release. They need to release the 302 FBI statements & the emails on Epstein's computer. The Epstein class must go."
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, on X on December 21: "The Department of Justice previously stated we will bring charges against anyone involved in the trafficking and exploitation of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims. We reaffirm this commitment, and ask any victim to please come forward with any information pertaining to any individuals who engaged in illicit activity at their expense."
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson, after the initial release: “By releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, and President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, the Trump Administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have,” She also described Trump administration as the “most transparent in history.”
What Happens Next
Rhetoric from lawmakers suggests the pressure will not ease up on Trump's DOJ to release unredacted information on the case. It remains unclear when the latest batch of files from New York will be made public.
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