The Department of Justice says it has made “substantial progress” reviewing records tied to convicted *** offender Jeffrey Epstein, while acknowledging that the scale of the work has brought “inevitable glitches,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a letter to two federal judges.
In the filing to U.S. District Judges Richard Berman and Paul Engelmeyer, Bondi said more than 500 people have been assigned to review the materials and apply redactions. The letter does not give a completion date, but says the department is moving “as expeditiously as possible” while protecting victims’ privacy.
Why it matters
The Trump administration has faced criticism for missing a December 19 deadline to release all Epstein-related materials required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Officials have attributed the delay to the volume of records and the need to keep victims anonymous. The slow pace has angered some lawmakers and survivors and fueled calls for court oversight and potential consequences for the department and its leadership.
Last week, Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)—co-authors of the law—asked a judge to appoint a special master and independent monitor to oversee the DOJ’s handling of the release.
What to know
Bondi described the review as significant for multiple reasons, including the sensitivity of information involved. She said the records reviewed and redacted so far “include many of the most sensitive categories of information for victims,” and that the DOJ is pulling staff and resources from “various components and offices” to support the effort.
She also said the department is using a centralized platform to manage “processing, deduplication, and review” of a large volume of documents—work that requires constant attention and technical support. Given the scope, she wrote, the platform needs “around-the-clock” operations to address “inevitable glitches” caused by the sheer volume.
In a prior court update, DOJ officials said in a January 5 letter that the department had released 12,285 documents and that “more than 2 million documents” remained in “various phases of review.” The Associated Press and The New York Times have reported the DOJ expanded its Epstein-related review to more than five million records.
What people are saying
Bondi wrote that the process is “time-intensive” because of the size and complexity of the materials and the need to protect victim-identifying information, adding that the department will continue updating the court on its progress.
Khanna said in a statement last week that the DOJ is “openly defying the law” by failing to release the full set of records, arguing the department has not handled redactions consistently and has removed records after publication “without any explanation.” He said that is why he and Massie are seeking a special master.
Massie said the DOJ is violating the law’s disclosure requirements by missing deadlines, making what he called excessive redactions, and withholding internal communications, arguing the department cannot be trusted to oversee the process without independent supervision.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote on X on December 31 that DOJ lawyers across multiple offices were working through the holidays to review documents, saying required redactions to protect victims take time but will not stop the materials from being released.
What happens next
It’s still unclear when the next batch of Epstein–related records will be released. The Associated Press reported—citing a person briefed on a letter to U.S. attorneys—that the DOJ does not expect to release more documents until January 20 or 21.
Meanwhile, Khanna and Massie are awaiting a ruling on their request to appoint a special master to oversee the disclosure process.
