WASHINGTON – The Justice Department has reviewed nearly 13,000 documents related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and 2 million more documents remain under "various phases of review" − weeks after a congressional deadline passed to release all the records, according to a new court filing.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche notified a judge that 400 lawyers and 100 document analysts are reviewing the documents to ensure the names of people who accused Epstein of abuse are redacted.
“This work has required and will continue to require substantial Department resources,” Bondi and Blanche told U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in New York on Jan. 5. “The Department remains committed to providing as much protection to the privacy interests of victims and their relatives as is practicable.”
The court filing marks another delay in releasing documents related to Epstein under a new law. Congressional Democrats and people who accused Epstein of abuse have criticized the department’s pace of releasing documents.
“We don’t even truly know how many more files there are to be released,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said on social media. “The Trump DOJ’s lawlessness must stop. I will do everything in my power to ensure all the files come out.”
