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THE US Justice Department has acknowledged it may require “a few more weeks” to complete the release of records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after federal prosecutors and the FBI uncovered more than one million additional documents potentially linked to the case.
AP cited on Thursday that the announcement on Christmas Eve came days after the department missed a congressionally mandated deadline under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, enacted last month, and hours after a bipartisan group of US senators called for an independent audit into the delay.
In a post on social media, the Justice Department said federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI “have uncovered over a million more documents” that could be relevant to the Epstein investigation, describing lawyers as “working around the clock” to review the newly discovered material.
“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 revelation marked a dramatic late-stage development, particularly as Justice Department officials had previously indicated that an exhaustive review of Epstein-related materials had already been completed.
In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a “truckload of evidence” had been delivered to her office after she ordered the department to “deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office”. She said the order was issued after she learned from an unidentified source that the FBI’s New York office was “in possession of thousands of pages of documents”.
However, in July, the FBI and the Justice Department stated in an unsigned memo that they had conducted an “exhaustive review” and determined that no additional evidence warranted release. The memo did not suggest that further documents existed or that any materials had yet to be reviewed.
On Wednesday, the department did not disclose when officials first became aware of the newly uncovered documents.
In a letter issued last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors already possessed more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations involving Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, although many of those files were duplicates previously supplied by the FBI.
The Justice Department said the review process required redacting victims’ names and identifying details, as mandated by law.
The delayed disclosure has drawn mounting criticism from lawmakers and victims alike. A group of 12 senators, comprising 11 Democrats and one Republican, urged Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume to investigate the department’s failure to meet the deadline.
Victims, they wrote, “deserve full disclosure” and the “peace of mind” that would come from an independent assessment of the department’s compliance.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Jeff Merkley of Oregon in leading the call for the audit. Other signatories included Senators Amy Klobuchar, Adam Schiff, Dick Durbin, Cory Booker, Andy Kim, Gary Peters, Chris Van Hollen, Mazie Hirono and Sheldon Whitehouse.
“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 added, “is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein’s crimes”.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a co-author of the law mandating the release, accused the department of legal breaches.
“DOJ did break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline,” he wrote on X.
Another architect of the legislation, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California, said he and Massie would “continue to keep the pressure on”, noting that additional documents were released only after lawmakers threatened contempt proceedings.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was more scathing, accusing the administration of deliberate obfuscation.
“A Christmas Eve news dump of ‘a million more files’ only proves what we already know: Trump is engaged in a massive coverup,” Schumer said. “The question Americans deserve answered is simple: WHAT are they hiding — and WHY?”
The White House rejected allegations of misconduct, defending the department’s handling of the case.
“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.
The Justice Department has released several batches of Epstein-related records since Friday, including photographs, interview transcripts, call logs and court documents. However, many were either already public or heavily redacted, while others lacked sufficient context.
Among previously unseen materials were transcripts of grand jury testimony from FBI agents recounting interviews with girls and young women who said they were paid to perform sex acts for Epstein.
Other documents included a January 2020 note from a federal prosecutor stating that former President Donald Trump had flown on Epstein’s private aircraft more frequently than previously reported, as well as emails exchanged between Ghislaine Maxwell and an individual signing off as “A”, with references suggesting the writer was Britain’s former Prince Andrew. In one message, “A” wrote: “How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?”
The Justice Department has not indicated when further document releases can be expected, adding to ongoing scrutiny of what lawmakers have described as a staggered and opaque disclosure process.- December 25, 2025
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