- DOJ announces Epstein files review delay.
- Public release postponed due to examination.
- Ongoing review of sensitive documents needed.
The department has mobilized around 400 attorneys from four departments, including the Criminal Division, National Security Division, FBI, and the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan, due to the volume of the material, according to a government document that was examined. The review will take place between January 5 and January 23.
A new openness law passed by Congress last month with bipartisan backing set a deadline of December 19 for the release of all data pertaining to Epstein. Although the legislation permits redactions to protect victims, the document shows that adhering to the original chronology is impractical due to the vast amount of evidence.
Epstein was acquainted with President Donald Trump in the 1990s, and the Trump administration ordered the Justice Department to make materials related to criminal investigations of Epstein public.
According to the document, participating attorneys must spend three to five hours a day reviewing about 1,000 papers. Department heads are rewarding volunteers with time off and telework alternatives to promote involvement.
Last week, the Justice Department announced that it had found over a million more papers that might be connected to Epstein, making the screening process much more difficult. Some Republican senators have criticized the substantially redacted material that has been made public thus far, claiming that the disclosures do not fully reflect the intent of the law.
Epstein was charged with sex trafficking at the federal level in 2019 after being found guilty in Florida in 2008 of obtaining a minor for prostitution. In what officials determined to be a suicide, he passed away in a New York jail that same year.
How will the DOJ prioritize processing the newly found documents?
The U.S. Justice Department plans to prioritize recycling the recently discovered Epstein documents by fastening first on accoutrements with implicit victim sequestration pitfalls, public security counteraccusations , or court- commanded redactions, allocating attorney brigades to grandly- volume webbing of 1,000 runners diurnal per critic.
Original batches target grand jury reiterations, FBI interviews, and call logs for fairly needed redactions under the Epstein lines translucency Act, followed by contextual documents like prints; over 5.2 million runners total necessitate phased releases into January 2026, with telework impulses boosting participation.
DOJ notified Congress of detainments beyond December 19, aiming for completion by January 23 despite Democratic review of previous heavy redactions; the Southern District of New York and FBI lead triage to insure compliance without compromising ongoing examinations.