WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice is “working around the clock” to comb through millions more pages of documents as part of its commitment to releasing the so-called “Jeffrey Epstein files” on the notorious sex trafficker.
Around 400 lawyers are reviewing as many as 5.2 million pages from the files as part of the congressionally mandated disclosures, a process that is expected to last until at least Jan. 20, the New York Times first reported Tuesday.
“DOJ lawyers from Main Justice, FBI, SDFL, and SDNY are working around the clock through the holidays, including Christmas and New Years, to review documents in compliance with federal law,” said 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,” he added. “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,” Blanche affirmed.
Here’s the latest on the release of the Epstein files
President Trump‘s DOJ has faced backlash for the pace of the disclosures after Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, mandating the full release of all investigative materials by Dec. 19.
Tens of thousands of records have already been put out on Epstein, who had registered as a sex offender in 2008 and who counted influential figures like businessman Bill Gates, President Bill Clinton and powerful lawyers, celebrities and academics among his coterie.
The 66-year-old died in a Manhattan federal prison on Aug. 10, 2019, in what was ruled a suicide by multiple investigations — though his well-documented connections with the rich and famous spawned conspiracy theories about his death.
The death also fomented frenzied speculation about whether Epstein held a “client list” of others — like his convicted madam Ghislaine Maxwell — who were aware of or involved with his sickening sex crimes.
Federal prosecutors charged him the month before his death with counts related to the sex trafficking of minors — including some as young as 14.
