Following last week's partial release of Jeffrey Epstein files, the U.S. Justice Department announced a further delay Wednesday, after discovering more than a million additional potentially relevant records. The move comes after missing a congressionally mandated deadline, drawing bipartisan calls for transparency and an audit.
The announcement via social media post revealed that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI found the new trove shortly after a July memo claimed an exhaustive review was complete—with no further evidence.
This builds on initial disclosures starting December 19 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which included previously unseen photographs, interview transcripts, call logs, court records, FBI grand jury testimony on victim interviews, a note on Donald Trump's more frequent flights on Epstein's plane, and emails between Ghislaine Maxwell and 'A' (likely Prince Andrew), including one asking, 'How's LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?' Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the FBI in March to deliver a full set from an unidentified source, amid over 3.6 million existing records—many duplicates—from Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell probes.
Department lawyers are now working around the clock to redact victim identities before public release.
Reactions intensified: 12 senators (11 Democrats, Republican Lisa Murkowski) urged Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume for a compliance audit to expose Epstein enablers. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the Trump administration of a cover-up and introduced a resolution for lawsuits. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a transparency act author, called the DOJ's actions illegal. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) pledged continued pressure.
The White House defended the process, with spokeswoman Abigail Jackson praising Attorney General Bondi for advancing President Trump's agenda.
