DOJ says lawyers working 'around the clock' to prep Epstein files for release after missed deadline
DOJ lawyers work through holidays reviewing Epstein files for release. More than 1 million pages need to be reviewed to protect victims, according to officials.
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Officials with the Attorney General's Office said Wednesday they are working relentlessly over the holidays to review and redact troves of documents in the Epstein files, prior to their mandated public release.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche released a statement on X noting Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers from Main Justice, FBI, SDFL and SDNY are "working around the clock" through Christmas and New Years to review documents, ensuring sensitive victim information is redacted from the impending release.
"It truly is an all-hands-on-deck approach and we're asking as many lawyers as possible to commit their time to review the documents that remain," Blanche wrote in the post. "Required redactions to protect victims take time but they will not stop these materials from being released."
Blanche's update comes amid recent threats of legal action after the department missed the Epstein Files Transparency Act's Dec. 19 deadline to publish all of its documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Department of Justice released a trove of Epstein documents on Dec. 19 following President Trump's signature on the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
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He previously argued there was "well-settled law" supporting the missed deadline, as other legal requirements in the bill must be met prior to release, including redacting victim-identifying information.
"The Attorney General’s and this Administration’s goal is simple: transparency and protecting victims," Blanche wrote Wednesday.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed Nov. 19 by President Donald Trump, required the DOJ to withhold information that could identify potential victims or compromise ongoing investigations or litigation.
A view of the compound on Epstein's island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. (House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)
