The US Department of Justice announced Wednesday that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI have identified over a million additional documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. This extensive discovery will delay their full public release for “a few more weeks.” The department cited the “mass volume of material” and the necessity of “legally required redactions to protect victims” as reasons for the prolonged processing time, with lawyers working “around the clock” to complete the review.

According to a post on X by the Justice Department, these documents were received from the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI. Their release is in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, existing statutes, judicial orders, and President Trump’s directive to release the files. This latest update follows earlier reports that initially estimated hundreds of thousands of additional records. Axios, citing unnamed Justice Department officials, indicated that while approximately 750,000 records had already been reviewed and disclosed, another 700,000 still remained to be examined, though many of these might be duplicates, potentially reducing the true unexamined count to thousands.

The ongoing delays and the limited nature of initial document releases have ignited considerable outrage from victims and prompted legal threats. This backlash is particularly acute given the statutory deadline for the full disclosure of all Epstein files, which was December 19, a deadline the department failed to meet. Lawmakers, including Democrat Ro Khanna of California and Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky, have responded by threatening contempt hearings against US Attorney General Pam Bondi due to the missed deadline, underscoring the immense pressure on the department to accelerate the process.

In an effort to expedite the redaction process, the Justice Department office in Florida issued a plea for career prosecutors to volunteer their assistance over the “next several days.” An internal email, reported by CNN, acknowledged the unfortunate timing during the holiday season but emphasized the department's “obligation to the public to release these documents” while diligently protecting victim identities and other sensitive information.

On Tuesday, the third significant release of files since Friday saw the Justice Department unveil 30,000 records stemming from investigations into Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. These recent releases notably included more frequent mentions of Donald Trump than in previous drops. A specific 2020 email, purportedly from a federal prosecutor in New York, stated that Trump “traveled on Epstein’s private jet many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware),” even citing one flight where the only listed passengers were Epstein, Trump, and a “then-20-year-old.”

The latest batch of files also contained several “false leads,” specifically a fake letter allegedly from Epstein to convicted sex abuser Larry Nassar, and a fabricated video purporting to show Epstein committing suicide in his jail cell. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed this “sensationalism and even outright lies” on X, clarifying the department’s legal obligation to produce all documents in its possession, even if they prove to be fake. He stated that the “so-called Epstein Nassar letter is clearly FAKE – wrong handwriting, wrong return address, and postmarked three days after Epstein died,” and dismissed “fake videos of Epstein in his cell” and “sensational tales and lies by random people” as not reflective of reality, urging the public to allow facts to prevail over “internet rumor engines.”

Furthermore, the newly released Epstein files offered some insight into the FBI's efforts to identify additional potential “conspirators.” An email from an FBI worker in New York, dated after Epstein's July 2019 arrest, listed 10 potential individuals. While most names remain redacted, three were unsealed: Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted; Jean-Luc Brunel, a model agent who died by suicide after facing rape and sexual harassment charges in France; and Leslie Wexner, a billionaire client of Epstein. Wexner, 88, has consistently denied any involvement in Epstein's crimes, asserting that he cut ties in 2007 and was never considered a co-conspirator or target by the assistant US attorney overseeing the investigation, according to his legal representative.

The partial revelation of potential co-conspirators, even with redactions, has provoked strong political reactions. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer demanded greater transparency from the Department of Justice, urging them to “shed more light on who was on the list, how they were involved, and why they chose not to prosecute.” Schumer emphasized that “Protecting possible co-conspirators is not the transparency the American people and Congress are demanding.”