The Justice Department said Wednesday that it's received a new tranche of records — more than 1 million documents — "potentially" related to Jeffrey Epstein's case, requiring additional time to process them before release.
The DOJ said it "may take a few more weeks" to review the files produced by the FBI and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
"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 Justice Department said on its X account Wednesday afternoon.
"The DOJ has received these documents from SDNY and the FBI to review them for release, in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, existing statutes, and judicial orders. We have lawyers working around the clock to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims, and we will release the documents as soon as possible. Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks."
Spokespeople for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to NBC News requests for comment about the contents of the documents and why they weren't uncovered earlier. A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment.
Epstein died in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in the Southern District of New York. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice, was indicted in July 2020 on federal sex trafficking charges. She was found guilty in December 2021 in New York and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
The Justice Department publicly released thousands of pages of Epstein files on Friday, the statutory deadline for releasing all of the files as outlined in the Epstein Files Transparency Act that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump last month. Another tranche was released Tuesday.
After the initial batch, Justice Department officials said they needed more time to review the files they have on hand and redact text and images related to Epstein's victims. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an interview with Fox News on Friday that he expected the entirety of the Epstein files to be online by Jan. 2.
“The reason why we are still reviewing documents and still continuing our process is simply to protect victims,” Blanche told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
“We’re going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims’ names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted, which is exactly what the [Epstein Files] Transparency Act expects,” he added.
As of Wednesday, the Justice Department had released about 40,000 documents related to Epstein, according to an NBC News analysis.
The files released so far have included several documents that mentioned President Donald Trump, including one that indicated he had flown on Epstein’s private jet more times than previously known.
Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and he has denied doing anything improper. The president has said he cut ties with Epstein at some point in the early 2000s because he was a “creep.”
The Justice Department said Tuesday in a post on X that the documents release included “untrue and sensationalist claims” about Trump.
Some members of Congress have criticized the delay in releasing all of the Epstein files.
Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who both spearheaded the bipartisan effort in Congress this year to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, have promised to hold officials accountable for the holdup, floating impeachment or charges of contempt.
On Wednesday, after the Justice Department said more Epstein files were found, Khanna said his threat with Massie to pursue contempt charges helped lead to the DOJ's announcement.
“@RepThomasMassie & I will continue to keep the pressure on. After we said we are bringing contempt, the DOJ is now finding millions more documents to release,” the California congressman wrote.
Massie did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., responded to the Justice Department's announcement of a longer timeline for releasing the files by accusing them of a "coverup."
"A Christmas Eve news dump of ‘a million more files’ only proves what we already know: Trump is engaged in a massive coverup. The question Americans deserve answered is simple: WHAT are they hiding—and WHY? Justice delayed is justice denied. Release the files. Follow the law," Schumer wrote in a post on X.
Schumer this week introduced a resolution that would direct the Senate to “initiate legal action against the DOJ” for not releasing the full Epstein files by last Friday.
Congress is scheduled to be back in session the first full week of January.
