The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has disclosed that there are 5.2 million pages of Epstein files awaiting review, and they require the assistance of 400 lawyers from four different department offices to complete the process by late January. This development, as per a government document examined by Reuters on Tuesday, indicates a delay in the final release of the documents beyond the initial expectation set by Congress for a December 19 deadline.
The Trump administration mandated the Justice Department to unveil the files associated with criminal investigations of Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased financier and convicted sex offender who had ties with U.S. President Donald Trump in the 1990s. This action aligns with a transparency law recently enacted by Congress.
The review process, involving 400 attorneys from the Criminal Division, the National Security Division, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan, is scheduled to take place in January, as per the document. The DOJ is incentivizing volunteers with telework options and time off awards, with the expectation that participating lawyers will dedicate three to five hours daily to review about 1,000 documents.
Last week, the DOJ reported the discovery of over a million additional documents potentially linked to Epstein. Despite the ongoing disclosures being heavily redacted, causing frustration among some Republicans and contributing to an impending scandal ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, the law, backed by bipartisan support in Congress, mandates the public release of all Epstein-related files. Trump’s efforts to keep the documents sealed were in vain, as the statute required their release by December 19 with redactions to safeguard victims.
President Trump’s acquaintance with Epstein dates back to the 1990s and early 2000s, with Trump maintaining that their association ceased in the mid-2000s and that he was unaware of Epstein’s illicit activities. Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution, and the Justice Department charged him with sex trafficking in 2019. His death in a New York jail in 2019 was ruled a suicide.
In a recent statement shared by the Justice Department, it was affirmed that lawyers are diligently working to review and redact the necessary information to protect victims, with a commitment to releasing the documents promptly, albeit acknowledging that the extensive volume of material may prolong the process by a few weeks.