The Justice Department announced Wednesday it has uncovered over a million documents potentially related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, further delaying a congressionally mandated deadline to release all related files.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI informed the Justice Department of the newly discovered documents, according to a Christmas Eve social media post. The department stated it needs “a few more weeks” to review and redact the materials before release.
“The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI have informed the Department of Justice that they have uncovered over a million more documents potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein case,” the department said in its announcement.
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The revelation came six days after Congress’s Dec. 19 deadline for releasing all Epstein-related records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last month.
The development drew immediate criticism from lawmakers who had already questioned the Justice Department’s handling of the files.
“After we said we are bringing contempt, the DOJ is now finding millions more documents to release,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., posted on social media platform X. Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., co-authored the transparency legislation.
Massie wrote on Wednesday that the Justice Department “did break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline.”
Hours before the announcement, 12 senators — 11 Democrats and Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — called on the Justice Department’s inspector general to audit the department’s compliance with the disclosure law. The senators wrote that victims “deserve full disclosure” and the “peace of mind” of an independent audit.
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The announcement contradicts earlier Justice Department assertions about the scope of its review. In July, the FBI and Justice Department indicated in an unsigned memo that they had completed an “exhaustive review” of Epstein-related materials.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said last week that Manhattan federal prosecutors already had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and his longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, though many were duplicates of FBI materials.
The Justice Department stated its lawyers are “working around the clock” to review the documents and remove victims’ names and identifying information as the transparency act requires.
Related: Redactions and coverups: Hiccups in DOJ’s Epstein files release
The department has released several batches of documents since Friday’s deadline, including photographs, interview transcripts, call logs and court records. Many documents were heavily redacted or already public, drawing criticism from victims’ advocates and lawmakers.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the situation “a blatant cover-up” after Wednesday’s announcement.
Epstein died in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Related: Convicted Child Sex Trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell Cleared for Work Release
The Justice Department did not specify when the additional documents were discovered or provide details about their contents.
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