DOJ claims ‘substantial progress’ made on Epstein files, but no new releases

By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

Four weeks after the congressionally-mandated release deadline, the Department of Justice says it is making “substantial progress” in its review of the millions of remaining unclassified Epstein files.

Since 2026 began, however, the agency hasn’t released any more files related to the deceased convicted sex trafficker.

According to DOJ’s own analyses, at least 2 million more files have yet to be released. So far, the DOJ has published 12,285 documents, about 125,575 pages of material.

The agency argued in a Thursday court filing that its violation of the Dec. 19 deadline imposed by the Epstein Files Transparency Act is due to the number of redactions it is making. More than 500 reviewers are tasked with this job, the DOJ revealed.

“The Department has made substantial progress and remains focused on releasing materials under the Act promptly while protecting victim privacy,” the DOJ said. “Compliance with the Act is a substantial undertaking, principally because, for a substantial number of documents, careful, manual review is necessary to ensure that victim-identifying information is redacted before materials are released.”

It added, “This is a time-intensive process due to the voluminous materials, the idiosyncratic nature of many of the materials, and the need to protect victim identifying information.”

U.S. lawmakers have criticized both the ongoing delay in releasing the files and the excessive redactions the DOJ has made. The Epstein Files Transparency Act expressly forbids the DOJ from redacting relevant information unless it could potentially jeopardize victim privacy, national security, or prosecution efforts.

But, as revealed on social media by political commentator Ed Krassenstein, the DOJ apparently violated that edict in at least one of the documents. One of the uncovered redactions included information on how Epstein attempted to pay off witnesses of his sex trafficking operations and destroy evidence of his crimes.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are threatening to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress.

Most recently, Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, requested a court-appointed, independent monitor to ensure the DOJ fully complies with the law’s transparency requirements.