More than two weeks after the deadline for releasing all files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has reported that over 99% of the materials remain unpublished. In a recent update to a federal judge, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that more than two million documents are still undergoing review and redaction.
To date, the DOJ has released approximately 12,285 documents, amounting to around 125,575 pages. The officials emphasized the extensive effort required to process the remaining documents, estimating that about 400 lawyers will be significantly involved in this task as mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was passed by Congress in November. Additionally, more than 100 specially trained document analysts from the FBI are assisting in the review process.
The DOJ has faced criticism from lawmakers and Epstein survivors for not meeting the December 19 deadline. Initial releases on that date were incomplete, with the DOJ subsequently identifying over a million additional documents requiring further review. The update indicated that a "meaningful portion" of these documents might be duplicative, necessitating a deduplication process.
Concerns have also been raised regarding the protection of victim identities in the released files. While some documents were blacked out to safeguard victims, survivors have criticized the DOJ for inconsistencies, claiming some victim identities were left unredacted while others received extensive redactions without clear justification.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has publicly criticized the DOJ for failing to submit a required report to Congress, which should list political figures mentioned in the files. The timeline for the release of additional documents remains uncertain.