The Justice Department has expanded its review of documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to roughly 5.2 million records, adding hundreds of attorneys in an effort to comply with a federal law mandating their release, according to a person briefed on a letter sent to U.S. attorneys and shared with the Associated Press.
The updated figure reflects the latest estimate in an ongoing review of case files involving Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The process is now more than a week past a congressional deadline for disclosure.
More than 400 Justice Department lawyers are currently involved in the review. However, the person said no additional documents are expected to be released until January 20 or 21. The individual spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the contents of the letter publicly.
The White House did not challenge the numbers and instead pointed to a statement from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who described the effort as an “all-hands-on-deck approach.” In a post on X, Blanche said officials were working through the holidays to “review documents in compliance with federal law.”
The update follows an announcement last week that more than 1 million additional files had been added to the review.
Why It Matters
The Justice Department has faced mounting criticism for failing to release all Epstein-related files by a December 19 deadline set under a law passed by Congress last month. Trump administration officials have attributed the delay to the sheer volume of records and the need to protect the anonymity and safety of Epstein’s victims.
As the number of records under review continues to rise, the scale of the effort highlights how the Epstein case remains a sensitive and closely watched issue within both Congress and the White House.
What to Know
Blanche has said that required redactions to protect victims take time but will not prevent the eventual release of documents. Those redactions have drawn controversy, particularly after several recently released pages appeared heavily blacked out, prompting questions about transparency.
Administration officials maintain that they are complying with the law signed by President Donald Trump, but some lawmakers argue the pace of disclosure is unacceptably slow. Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, and Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, have emerged as the most vocal critics pressing for faster and fuller compliance.
Documents released so far have included letters, photographs, interview transcripts, call logs, court records, and other materials tied to investigations into the late financier, who was accused of operating a wide-ranging sex trafficking scheme involving young women and girls across Florida, New York, and the Caribbean.
On December 23, the Justice Department published an additional 30,000 pages of records. Those materials reportedly included hundreds of references to Trump and two subpoenas issued to the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
The following day, a bipartisan group of senators urged the Justice Department to examine its failure to meet the original deadline. The group—comprised of 11 Democrats and one Republican—wrote to Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume, arguing that victims were entitled to full disclosure.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has said the department remains committed to pursuing charges against any other individuals linked to Epstein’s trafficking operation and has encouraged victims who have not yet come forward to do so.
What People Are Saying
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, on X:
“It truly is an all-hands-on-deck approach and we’re asking as many lawyers as possible to commit their time to review the documents that remain. Required redactions to protect victims take time but they will not stop these materials from being released. The Attorney General’s and this Administration’s goal is simple: transparency and protecting victims.”
Representative Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican, on X (December 28):
“@AGPamBondi’s most egregious violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act is not that she ignores the deadline… it’s that she’s redacting names of accused sex offenders AND internal communications about decisions, wrongly citing old rules that are overridden by new law.”
Representative Ro Khanna, California Democrat, on CNN:
“I’m less concerned about the timeline and more concerned that they’re not releasing the key documents. If they were actually putting out the survivors’ statements, putting out the prosecution memos, then they would have some leg to rest on.”
What Happens Next
Massie has called for Bondi’s impeachment over the delays, accusing her and other officials of improperly redacting the names of accused sex offenders. Khanna has said additional measures could be pursued to force compliance, even as the Trump administration continues to insist that the remaining files will be released.
