More than a month after the imposed deadline to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the Justice Department still can't say when the full release might be complete, but it should be soon. In a four-page court filing Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi and other top DOJ officials told two federal judges in Manhattan that they've gone through "several million" pages of Epstein-related materials and expect to wrap up their review and redaction work "in the near term," per NBC News. However, they refused to give a specific date, saying its "ongoing processes" including "quality control checks," might require more time, particularly as they relate to shielding victims.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed Nov. 19, required the department to release all its Epstein files within 30 days—a deadline long since passed. As of early this month, the DOJ had disclosed about 12,000 documents, or less than 1% of those it holds, per CNN. These reportedly include internal communications, investigative records, and audio and video files tied to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, largely traced to the FBI's two Epstein investigations in Florida and New York.
A recent CNN poll found two-thirds of respondents believe the government is intentionally withholding files. But DOJ officials said "hundreds" of department employees have been working to manually review the material, consulting with victims and their lawyers as they move through the trove and remove sensitive and privileged information. Almost all of the 200 lawyers in the US attorney's office for the Southern District of New York have been involved, per the New York Times. They continue "to make substantial progress," the DOJ said Tuesday.
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