WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice is mobilizing about 400 attorneys to review roughly 5.2 million pages of records tied to Jeffrey Epstein after missing Congress’ Dec. 19 deadline to complete the release of remaining Epstein files, according to a government document reviewed by Reuters. The department says the surge review is needed to apply legally required redactions — including victim-identifying information — before more material is posted publicly, Dec. 31, 2025.
The deadline was created by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan law that directs DOJ to publish unclassified Epstein-related investigatory records in a searchable, downloadable format. DOJ began releasing tranches in December but has acknowledged it will take longer to screen the remaining Epstein files for privacy and other protected information.
The records stem from investigations into Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who was charged in 2019 and later found dead in a New York jail; his death was ruled a suicide. The broader case also includes prosecutions of associates, including Ghislaine Maxwell.
Epstein files review expands to 400 lawyers
The Reuters-reviewed memo says the review will pull attorneys from DOJ’s Criminal Division and National Security Division, the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan. The work is scheduled for Jan. 5-23, with department leaders offering telework options and time-off awards to volunteers.
The memo also sets a steep target: participating lawyers are expected to devote three to five hours a day to review about 1,000 documents daily. Even with that pace, the sheer volume of the remaining Epstein files suggests the final releases could extend beyond the Dec. 19 deadline.
What the public can see in the Epstein files
DOJ has consolidated released material into an online Epstein Library that includes court records, DOJ disclosures and Freedom of Information Act releases. The site warns that parts of the collection describe sexual abuse and that many documents contain pre-existing redactions, with additional markings used to remove victim names and other identifying details.
As new Epstein files appear, survivors’ advocates and legal analysts have urged readers to handle the disclosures carefully: investigative files can include unverified tips, partial accounts and passing references to people who were never charged. Being mentioned in a record is not the same as being accused of wrongdoing.
Why the Dec. 19 deadline slipped
DOJ has said the workload grew after prosecutors in the Southern District of New York and the FBI identified “over a million” additional documents potentially related to the case. The department told the Associated Press it may take “a few more weeks” to finish reviewing and redacting what remains for release.
A long-running push to open the Epstein files
The current transparency effort follows years of scrutiny over how Epstein was investigated and prosecuted. A 2018 Miami Herald investigation by reporter Julie K. Brown helped revive public attention on Epstein’s earlier Florida case and the handling of a 2008 plea deal.
In early 2024, a New York judge also unsealed hundreds of pages of civil filings that named Epstein contacts and associates — a release that drew wide attention and confusion over what it did and did not prove, as CBS News reported.
For now, DOJ says the next phase of the Epstein files rollout depends on completing review fast enough to publish more batches without exposing victims’ identities or other sensitive information. Lawmakers and survivors are expected to keep pressing for the remaining files to be released with redactions limited to what the law requires.
