The Justice Department has extended its review of records tied to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, pushing the number of documents under scrutiny to roughly 5.2 million as federal officials race to comply with a law requiring their release.
According to a person familiar with a letter sent to U.S. attorneys, the ballooning review has prompted the department to assign more than 400 lawyers to the effort. Even with the added staff, officials do not expect another batch of documents to be made public until January 20 or 21.
The growing scope of the review has already pushed the Justice Department past the deadline set by Congress. The law required the files to be released by December 19, but officials say the volume of material and the need for careful screening have slowed the process.
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The delay has intensified scrutiny from lawmakers and ensured that the Epstein case remains a politically charged issue as Congress heads toward an election year. The review now spans files tied not only to Epstein but also to his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, whose conviction remains central to the investigation.
The White House did not challenge the figures outlined in the internal correspondence and instead pointed to comments from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who described the effort as extensive and ongoing.
Blanche said Wednesday that lawyers from the Justice Department, the FBI, the Southern District of Florida, and the Southern District of New York are working “around the clock” to examine the records. The existence of additional documents and the scale of the review were first reported by The New York Times.
“We’re asking as many lawyers as possible to commit their time to review the documents that remain,” Blanche said. “Required redactions to protect victims take time, but they will not stop these materials from being released.”
Despite those assurances, Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing massive pressure from lawmakers frustrated by the delay.
“Should Attorney General Pam Bondi be impeached?” Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky wrote on social media this week. Massie was among the lawmakers who pushed for the legislation requiring the records to be made public.
Democrats have also begun weighing their options, arguing that the slow pace has exposed deeper problems within the administration’s handling of the case.
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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the latest numbers from the Justice Department “shows Bondi, Blanche, and others at the DOJ have been lying to the American people about the Epstein files since day one,” adding that the documents released so far represent only a small portion of what exists.
Even so, some lawmakers say they are willing to give the department more time before taking formal action. A late January release would place the Justice Department more than a month behind schedule, but not all members of Congress want to escalate immediately.
Rep. Ro Khanna of California, another supporter of the disclosure law, said the expanding review suggests the statute is having its intended effect.
“We are willing to give DOJ a few extra weeks to comply, provided they release the survivors’ statements to the FBI naming the other rich and powerful men who abused them or covered up and the prosecution memos about charges that were dropped against Epstein and co-conspirators,” Khanna said in an AP report. “When all the information comes out, this will shock the conscience of the nation.”
Massie reiterated the same view, arguing that victim statements held by the FBI could expose influential business leaders and political donors who were involved or who helped shield Epstein from accountability.
Both lawmakers have said the widening review reinforces the belief that Epstein and Maxwell were not acting alone.
The controversy has lingered over the Trump administration for much of the past year. While it remains unclear what additional details will surface, the case has continued to provide political ammunition for Democrats and has exposed fractures within Trump’s own base.
Earlier document releases added to the scrutiny. Files made public shortly before Christmas confirmed that Trump had flown on Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s, during a period when the two were acquainted. The documents, however, did not reveal new details about the nature of their relationship. Other records showed photographs of former President Bill Clinton alongside women whose identities were redacted.
House Republicans have since focused their attention on Clinton. Members of the Oversight Committee are pushing to compel both him and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to sit for depositions in January.
Democrats, meanwhile, argue that the administration’s handling of the case emphasizes misplaced priorities.
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“Unlike the President, we don’t care who’s in the files,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, wrote on social media. “Anyone that’s involved in the abuse of women and girls should be held accountable.”
