The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday the discovery of “more than a million additional documents” potentially related to the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and indicated that their release could be delayed “a few more weeks” due to the volume of material.
“The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have informed the Department of Justice that they have discovered more than one million additional documents that may be related to the Jeffrey Epstein case,” the department said on its X (formerly Twitter) account, without providing details about their content.
The department, led by Pam Bondi, promised that “we will release the documents as soon as possible,” although it acknowledged that “due to the large volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.”
“We have lawyers working tirelessly to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims,” ​​it stated, before promising to continue “fully complying with federal law and with President (Donald) Trump’s order to release the files.”
The president’s name now appears significantly in the latest 30,000 files released by the department, showing a closer connection to Epstein—convicted of sexual abuse and child trafficking—according to reports from NBC News.
However, his administration has emphasized that some of the documents contain “false” information and “sensational allegations against the president,” who is not accused of any crime in connection with the case but has so far tried to obstruct the release of the documents.
The Transparency Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by the White House last month, set December 19 as the deadline for the Department of Justice to release all unclassified materials it possesses related to the late sex offender and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. The law provides exceptions to protect the personal information of survivors and other specific categories. Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on charges of sexually abusing and trafficking dozens of children in the early 2000s. This millionaire, who at one point even rubbed shoulders with figures such as Prince Andrew of England—brother of Charles III—former US President Bill Clinton, and Trump, was found hanged in his cell.
