The Justice Department has 5.2 million pages of Epstein files left to review and will enlist about 400 lawyers to help, according to multiple reports.
The review will occur between Jan. 5 and Jan. 23, according to a government document reviewed by Reuters.
The update comes after the department said it uncovered more than one million additional documents potentially linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The development further guarantees that the full, final release of documents will extend much further beyond the already-missed Dec. 19 deadline set by Congress.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, approved by Congress with broad bipartisan support and signed into law by President Trump, requires the Justice Department to release its files related to its investigations of Epstein.
The Department initially released about 100,000 pages, but Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche acknowledged the move would not encompass all of the department’s documents on the disgraced financier.
On the day of the deadline, he wrote to Congress to explain that “due to the volume of materials,” the department would release the documents on a “rolling basis.”
Since late November, the department has assigned nearly 200 national security division lawyers to review its materials and remove information about victims and what officials characterized as anything that would compromise continuing investigations or national security.
Now, the department needs about 400 lawyers from four different department offices to help with the process, according to a document reviewed by Reuters and The New York Times.
So far, released materials have been heavily redacted — the law allows redactions to protect victims. Some of the pictures, emails and other documents released have stirred intense public interest, with many of them showing prominent political figures, from former President Bill Clinton to President Trump, both of whom have denied any wrongdoing.
The delayed release has sparked the ire of lawmakers.
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said he intends to force the consideration of a resolution when the Senate reconvenes in January, which would initiate legal action against the Justice Department.
Last week, a dozen senators called for an audit into the department’s failure to release all records by the congressionally mandated deadline.
“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 Justice Department said on social media last week.
