DOJ Admits It’s Still Reviewing ‘More Than 2 Million Documents’ in Epstein Files — ‘Less Than 1 Percent’ Have Been Released

 
Jeffrey Epstein

New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File

In a recent court filing, the Department of Justice admitted it still has millions of documents left to review in the Epstein files and has only released “less than 1 percent,” in violation of the deadline set by federal law.

After mounting pressure — including from his fellow Republicans — President Donald Trump signed a law last month to release the files related to deceased child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell with a deadline of Friday, December 19.

The DOJ posted an initial tranche of photos, documents, audio, and video files online by the deadline, followed by several additional releases, but the overwhelming majority of the Epstein files still remain under wraps, reported Politico senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney.

According to a five-page letter filed with the court by Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, “more than 2 million documents … remain in various phases of review and redaction.”

Cheney noted that ” about 12,285 documents — totaling 125,575 pages — had been released so far in response to the federal law requiring the vast majority of the files to be released publicly by Dec. 19,” meaning that “less than 1 percent of the total” have been released, over two weeks overdue so far.

Clayton’s letter described for the judge the massive workload his office was bearing, with 100 experienced FBI analysts assisting over 400 DOJ attorneys who were scheduled to devote “all or a substantial portion of their workday” for weeks to reviewing, analyzing, and redacting files. This division of the DOJ, located in Manhattan, is the same “where deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro is facing criminal charges,” Cheney pointed out — further burdening their resources.

Newsweek’s Hugh Cameron reported that the review of the enormous set of documents seemed likely to be unable to finished before the end of Trump’s second term, and could even take “over eight years.”

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Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.