US DOJ to review 5.2 million pages of Epstein files
The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
US Justice Department has said it still has 5.2 million pages of files related to Jeffrey Epstein to review and will require the assistance of 400 lawyers from four department offices to complete the process through late January, according to a government document reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday.
The development is likely to delay the final release of the documents well beyond the December 19 deadline set by Congress, the document said.
The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
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The Trump administration ordered the Justice Department to release files linked to criminal probes of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein under a transparency law passed by Congress last month.
According to the document, the Criminal Division, National Security Division, the FBI and the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan are collectively providing 400 attorneys to review the material. The review is scheduled to take place between January 5 and January 23.
Department leaders are offering telework options and time-off awards as incentives for volunteers. Lawyers assisting with the review are expected to spend three to five hours a day examining about 1,000 documents daily, the document said.
The Justice Department said last week it had uncovered more than one million additional documents potentially linked to Epstein.
So far, the disclosures have been heavily redacted, drawing criticism from some Republicans and failing to quell a controversy that could affect the party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The law, approved by Congress with broad bipartisan support, requires all Epstein-related files to be made public, with redactions permitted to protect victims. All documents were initially required to be released by December 19.
Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 of procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution and was later charged by federal prosecutors with sex trafficking in 2019. He was found dead in a New York jail the same year, and his death was ruled a suicide.
In a post shared on X last week, the Justice Department said, "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."
