The Justice Department has expanded its review of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to 5.2 million as it also ramps up the number of lawyers seeking to comply with a law mandating the release of the files, according to a person briefed on a letter sent to U.S. attorneys.
The number is the latest estimate in an expanding review of files in the case of Epstein and his longtime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, which has passed more than a week past a deadline set by Congress.
The Justice Department has more than 400 lawyers assigned to the review, but does not expect to release more documents until Jan. 20 or 21, according to a person briefed on the letter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it.
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The expanding scope of the revelations and the additional legal firepower being brought to bear on it have shown how the Epstein dossier investigation will continue to occupy significant attention in Congress and the White House and all but ensure that it will remain a potent political force as the new year approaches the midterm elections.
The White House did not dispute the numbers in the email, pointing to a statement from Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, who said the administration’s review was an “all hands on deck” approach.
Blanche said Wednesday that attorneys from the Justice Department in Washington, the FBI, the Southern District of Florida and the Southern District of New York are working “around the clock” to review the files. Additional documents and lawyers related to the case were first reported by The New York Times.
“We are asking as many lawyers as possible to devote their time to reviewing the remaining documents,” Blanche said. “The necessary adjustments to protect victims take time, but will not prevent these materials from being released.”
Still, Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing pressure from Congress after the Justice Department’s release of the information fell behind a Dec. 19 deadline.
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“Should Attorney General Pam Bondi be impeached?” Rep. Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, who helped lead the effort to pass legislation mandating the document’s release, asked on social media this week.
Democrats are also reassessing their legal options as they continue to grapple with an issue that has split the Republican Party and at times caught President Donald Trump’s administration by surprise.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on social media that the latest figures from the Justice Department “show that Bondi, Blanche and others at the Justice Department have been lying to the American people about the Epstein files since day one,” noting that the documents released so far represent a fraction of the total.
What is expected next
Releasing the documents in late January would push the Justice Department more than a month past the statutory deadline, but some key lawmakers appeared willing to let the process play out before trying to take direct action against the Trump administration.
Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who also led the effort to pass the bill requiring the release, told The Associated Press that an expanding Justice Department review showed the law was working.
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“We are willing to give the DOJ a few more weeks to comply, provided they release survivors’ statements to the FBI naming other rich and powerful men who abused or covered for them, and their statement of claim about the charges that were dropped against Epstein and co-conspirators,” he said. “When all the information comes out, it will shock the conscience of the nation.”
Massie also said he wants to see the release of statements the victims gave to the FBI. He claimed these could reveal the names of influential businessmen and political donors who were implicated in or complicit in Epstein’s abuse.
The pair also claimed that the unfolding revelations were proof that more people than Epstein and Maxwell were involved.
What could the files mean for the medium term?
The Trump administration spent most of last year trying to get through Epstein’s files. While it’s unclear what else will be revealed in the filings, it will almost certainly provide more fodder for Democrats to continue to seize on the issue.
So far, Democrats, though in the minority, have forced Congress to act on an issue that has split Trump’s political base.
A series of documents released just before Christmas showed that Trump had flown on Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s when they were friends before they split. But the documents revealed little new information about their relationship. The first release of the documents also showed several photos of former President Bill Clinton with women whose faces were blacked out.
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have honed in on Clinton and are trying to get him and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to appear for impeachment in January.
Still, Democrats are trying to show that the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files shows it can’t be trusted and cares more about the well-being of the rich and famous than working-class voters.
“Unlike the president, we don’t care who’s in the files,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the oversight panel, said on social media. “Anyone involved in the abuse of women and girls should be held accountable.”
