Attorneys need more time to protect victims’ identities in the files, U.S. AG Pam Bondi said in a new letter.
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA โ A newly released letter confirms that the U.S. Department of Justice has kept theย vast majority of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from the public, despite a law mandating the release of the investigation records.
The DOJ is still reviewing more than 2 million documents related to Epstein, in addition to the 12,285 documents it has already released, according to the letter sent from United States Attorney General Pam Bondi to New York Judge Paul Engelmayer.ย
Bondi said the DOJ has 400 attorneys working on the files and still intends to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Congress passed in November, but needs more time to protect victims’ privacy. She specifically referenced information that was redacted in previously released files that ended up being posted online.
“This work has required and will continue to require substantial Department resources,” Bondi’s letter said. “The Department remains committed to providing as much protection to the privacy interests of victims and their relatives as is practicable.”
The 2 million figure is down from the 5.2 million documents the DOJ said it was reviewing over a month after the Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump. The DOJ previously estimated that it would release the next batch of documents on either Jan. 20 or 21, an anonymous person briefed on a letter sent to U.S. Attorneys told the Associated Press.
โWeโre asking as many lawyers as possible to commit their time to review the documents that remain,โ Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in December. โRequired redactions to protect victims take time, but they will not stop these materials from being released.โ
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
