Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Jan 28: Senior officials of the US Justice Department have informed a federal court that they expect to release the remaining Jeffrey Epstein-related files “in the near term,” even as they admitted they cannot provide a specific date for completion of the review process.
In a court filing on Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said the department has made “substantial progress” after reviewing millions of pages of documents, along with video and audio recordings.
The officials submitted the update in a letter to Judges Richard Berman and Paul Engelmayer in the Southern District of New York.
The development comes amid mounting note that the Justice Department is facing intense pressure to release all Epstein-related records after Congress passed a law in November, with near-unanimous support, setting a deadline of December 19, 2025.
Epstein, a convicted sex offender accused of abusing dozens of underage girls, died by suicide in 2019.
The officials said the ongoing review includes extensive redactions to ensure the protection of victim-identifying information. They added that quality checks and document management system preparations may require additional effort before the material can be released publicly.
The letter noted that the process has involved a “manual review by hundreds of Department attorneys, agents and others,” who have spent days and weeks examining the records.
According to reports, the files include papers, videos, photographs and audio material stored in the FBI’s electronic case management system, originating largely from two major investigations into Epstein — one in Florida and another in New York — spanning decades.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department said it had released 12,285 documents, which is less than 1% of the total, while more than 2 million documents remain under review.
Meanwhile, public dissatisfaction continues to grow over the pace of disclosures. A CNN poll conducted earlier this month found that a majority of Americans believe the federal government is intentionally withholding information in the Epstein case, while only a small fraction feel authorities are making a full effort to release everything possible.