The Department of Justice (DOJ) has revealed the discovery of around one million potentially relevant documents linked to the late child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and disclosed the timeline for their public release.
According to a statement posted on X/Twitter by a DOJ spokesperson, documents were provided by the US attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI. This development adds to the scrutiny facing the White House, which was obligated to disclose all Epstein-related files by December 19.
“The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI have informed the Department of Justice about the discovery of over a million additional documents possibly tied to the Jeffrey Epstein case,” the DOJ announced. “These documents, received from SDNY and the FBI, are undergoing review for release as per the Epstein Files Transparency Act, existing laws, and court directives.”
The DOJ stated, “Our legal team is diligently reviewing and redacting the documents to safeguard victims, and we aim to release them promptly. Given the extensive amount of material, this process may require a few more weeks. The Department remains committed to adhering to federal regulations and the directive from President Trump to disclose the files.”
Numerous redactions were made to previously released documents, leading to rapid criticism from lawmakers and the American public. Both Republican and Democrat legislators have accused the DOJ of concealing new evidence to shield President Donald Trump or influential individuals mentioned in the documents.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky expressed skepticism on X/Twitter, stating, “The DOJ now claims the Epstein-Maxwell file surpasses 1.7 million documents. And yet, they expect people to believe this involves only two culpable individuals.”
Democratic Representative Ro Khanna from California, who collaborated with Massie on a bill to release the documents, responded to the DOJ’s shift from denying the existence of files, remarking, “‘There are no more files, case closed.'”
“Six months after @RepThomasMassie & my Epstein Transparency Act. ‘There are a million files,'” Khanna added.
Criticism has also been directed at the Trump administration for its handling of the document release, particularly the lack of explanations for certain redactions. Some documents identified a victim who preferred not to be publicly named and contained what appeared to be fabricated videos and notes, with no clarification on their authenticity.
DOJ officials have seemingly taken a bipartisan stance on the documents, highlighting images of former Democrat Bill Clinton – who has denied any misconduct and advocated for full disclosure of the files. They have also promptly addressed concerns regarding an alleged counterfeit letter from Epstein to convicted sex offender and physician Larry Nassar.