Justice Department says it has 'over a million more' documents potentially related to Epstein
The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that officials have "uncovered over a million more documents potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein case."
"The DOJ has received these documents from [Southern District of New York] and the FBI to review them for release, in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, existing statutes, and judicial orders," the department posted on X.
"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," the post read.
ABC News has previously reported that Department of Justice has in its possession more than a million documents related to Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019 in his jail cell awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, issued a statement on Wednesday criticizing the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files.
"It's outrageous that the DOJ has illegally withheld over 1 million documents from the public," Garcia said.
"Every day we see lies, incompetence, missed deadlines, and illegal redactions. Pam Bondi needs to testify to Congress under oath to explain herself," Garcia added. "Oversight Democrats also want to hear from whistleblowers or anyone at the DOJ who can assist us in bringing justice for the survivors. You are protected by the law."
Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November mandating the release of the Department of Justice's files on Epstein. The measure required the department to release all of the documents, with certain exceptions like protecting victim privacy and ongoing investigations, by Friday, Dec. 19, though the department said it has been delayed by the vetting process to protect victims.
Through Tuesday morning, the Justice Department had released more than 30,000 pages of documents, included among more than 15,000 individual downloadable files. Thousands of photographs were also made public for the first time.
In addition to accusing the administration of being too slow to release the material, critics have said the administration has been too aggressive in its redactions, blacking out the names of government officials so as to make it difficult, if not impossible, to determine who said what in internal and external correspondence.
The Justice Department has also redacted the names of potential co-conspirators who were identified by prosecutors in internal emails shortly after Epstein’s 2019 arrest.
The administration has also received criticism for mistakenly allowing victims’ names to remain visible in some of the documents it has released.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, said they will "continue to keep the pressure on."
"After we said we are bringing contempt, the DOJ is now finding millions more documents to release. They need to release the 302 FBI statements & the emails on Epstein's computer. The Epstein class must go," Khanna wrote on X on Wednesday.
