Dec. 24 (UPI) — A million more files that might pertain to the former Jeffrey Epstein case have been found and will be released in weeks, federal officials announced on Wednesday.
Officials with the office of the U.S. attorney for Southern New York said they found more than a million more records and will review and redact those subject to the Epstein Files Transparency Act and release them.
“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,” the Justice Department said in a post on X.
“Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks,” the Justice Department said. “The department will continue to fully comply with federal law and President [Donald] Trump’s direction to release the files.”
The files were located in the Southern District of New York, which is based in New York City, and by the FBI, both of which forwarded them to the Justice Department for processing and eventual release as required by law.
The recently enacted Epstein Files Transparency Act required the Justice Department to release all Epstein-related files after reviewing them and redacting certain types of information, including the identities of victims, child abuse materials and others.
All files were to be released no later than Dec. 19, which is the date that the Justice Department released hundreds of thousands of files, some of which were completely redacted and blacked out.
The Justice Department posted them on its Epstein Library webpage, where all released documents are to be deposited and made available to the general public via a dedicated search engine.
Despite posting hundreds of thousands of files, the department earlier said hundreds of thousands more files also will be released after undergoing review and redactions.
Some lawmakers have accused the Justice Department of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act by not posting all available files by the deadline.
Officials said they have a large team of attorneys reviewing each file and redacting information as required and will post all additional documents as soon as possible.
The new batch of more than a million files that might be related to the Epstein case will greatly complicate and slow that process.
Epstein was a financier and convicted sex offender who hung himself while jailed in Manhattan in 2019 amid federal charges accusing him of sex trafficking of minors and related offenses.
