After missing deadline, DOJ says it may need a 'few more weeks' to
finish releasing Epstein files
[December 26, 2025]
By SEUNG MIN KIM, ERIC TUCKER and MICHAEL R. SISAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need
a “few more weeks" to release all of its records on the late sex
offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million
potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last
Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline.
The Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen U.S. senators
called on the Justice Department’s watchdog to examine its failure to
meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a Republican, told Acting
Inspector General Don Berthiaume in a letter that victims “deserve full
disclosure” and the “peace of mind” of an independent audit.
The Justice Department said in a social media post that federal
prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI “have uncovered over a million more
documents” that could be related to the Epstein case — a stunning 11th
hour development after department officials suggested months ago that
they had undertaken a comprehensive review that accounted for the vast
universe of Epstein-related materials.
In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a “truckload of
evidence” had been produced after she ordered the FBI to “deliver the
full and complete Epstein files to my office.” She issued the directive
after saying she learned from an unidentified source that the FBI in New
York was “in possession of thousands of pages of documents.”
In July, the FBI and Justice Department indicated in an unsigned memo
that they had undertaken an “exhaustive review” and had determined that
no additional evidence should be released — an extraordinary about face
from the Trump administration, which for months had pledged maximum
transparency. The memo did not raise the possibility that additional
evidence existed that officials were unaware of or had not reviewed.
Wednesday’s post did not say when the Justice Department was informed of
the newly uncovered files.
In a letter last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said
Manhattan federal prosecutors already had more than 3.6 million records
from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and his longtime
confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, though many were copies of material already
turned over by the FBI.
The Justice Department said its lawyers are “working around the clock”
to review the documents and remove victims names and other identifying
information as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law
enacted last month that requires the government to open its files on
Epstein and Maxwell.
“We will release the documents as soon as possible,” the department
said. “Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few
more weeks.”
The announcement came amid increasing scrutiny on the Justice
Department’s staggered release of Epstein-related records, including
from Epstein victims and members of Congress.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, one of the chief authors of
the law mandating the document release, posted Wednesday on X: “DOJ did
break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline.”
Another architect of the law, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he and
Massie will “continue to keep the pressure on” and noted that the
Justice Department was releasing more documents after lawmakers
threatened contempt.
“A Christmas Eve news dump of ‘a million more files’ only proves what we
already know: Trump is engaged in a massive coverup,” Senate Minority
Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the DOJ's announcement. “The
question Americans deserve answered is simple: WHAT are they hiding —
and WHY?”
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This undated photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows
Ghislaine Maxwell. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)
The White House on Wednesday defended the Justice Department's
handling of the Epstein records.
“President Trump has assembled the greatest cabinet in American
history, which includes Attorney General Bondi and her team — like
Deputy Attorney General Blanche — who are doing a great job
implementing the President’s agenda,” spokeswoman Abigail Jackson
said in a statement.
After releasing an initial wave of records on Friday, the Justice
Department posted more batches to its website over the weekend and
on Tuesday. The Justice Department has not given any notice when
more records might arrive.
Records that have been released, including photographs, interview
transcripts, call logs, court records and other documents, were
either already public or heavily blacked out, and many lacked
necessary context. Records that hadn’t been seen before include
transcripts of grand jury testimony from FBI agents who described
interviews they had with several girls and young women who described
being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein.
Other records made public in recent days include a note from a
federal prosecutor from January 2020 that said Trump had flown on
the financier’s private plane more often than had been previously
known and emails between Maxwell and someone who signs off with the
initial “A.” They contain other references that suggest the writer
was Britain’s former Prince Andrew. In one, “A” writes: “How’s LA?
Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?”
The senators’ call Wednesday for an inspector general audit comes
days after Schumer introduced a resolution that, if passed, would
direct the Senate to file or join lawsuits aimed at forcing the
Justice Department to comply with the disclosure and deadline
requirements. In a statement, he called the staggered, heavily
redacted release “a blatant cover-up.”
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Sens. Richard
Blumenthal, D-Conn. and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in leading the call
for an inspector general audit. Others signing the letter were
Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota., Adam Schiff of
California, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both
of New Jersey, Gary Peters of Michigan, Chris Van Hollen, of
Maryland, Mazie Hirono, of Hawaii, and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode
Island.
“Given the (Trump) Administration’s historic hostility to releasing
the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and
failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral
assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure
requirements is essential,” the senators wrote. Full transparency,
they said, “is essential in identifying members of our society who
enabled and participated in Epstein’s crimes.”
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Sisak reported from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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