DOJ: 'Few More Weeks' for Epstein Files12/26 06:03

   The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a "few more weeks" to 
release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after 
suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, 
further delaying compliance with last Friday's congressionally mandated 
deadline.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a 
"few more weeks" to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey 
Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant 
documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday's congressionally 
mandated deadline.

   The Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen U.S. senators called 
on the Justice Department's watchdog to examine its failure to meet the 
deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a Republican, told Acting Inspector 
General Don Berthiaume in a letter that victims "deserve full disclosure" and 
the "peace of mind" of an independent audit.

   The Justice Department said in a social media post that federal prosecutors 
in Manhattan and the FBI "have uncovered over a million more documents" that 
could be related to the Epstein case -- a stunning 11th hour development after 
department officials suggested months ago that they had undertaken a 
comprehensive review that accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related 
materials.

   In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a "truckload of 
evidence" had been produced after she ordered the FBI to "deliver the full and 
complete Epstein files to my office." She issued the directive after saying she 
learned from an unidentified source that the FBI in New York was "in possession 
of thousands of pages of documents."

   In July, the FBI and Justice Department indicated in an unsigned memo that 
they had undertaken an "exhaustive review" and had determined that no 
additional evidence should be released -- an extraordinary about face from the 
Trump administration, which for months had pledged maximum transparency. The 
memo did not raise the possibility that additional evidence existed that 
officials were unaware of or had not reviewed.

   Wednesday's post did not say when the Justice Department was informed of the 
newly uncovered files.

   In a letter last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan 
federal prosecutors already had more than 3.6 million records from sex 
trafficking investigations into Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine 
Maxwell, though many were copies of material already turned over by the FBI.

   The Justice Department said its lawyers are "working around the clock" to 
review the documents and remove victims names and other identifying information 
as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted last month 
that requires the government to open its files on Epstein and Maxwell.

   "We will release the documents as soon as possible," the department said. 
"Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks."

   The announcement came amid increasing scrutiny on the Justice Department's 
staggered release of Epstein-related records, including from Epstein victims 
and members of Congress.

   Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, one of the chief authors of the 
law mandating the document release, posted Wednesday on X: "DOJ did break the 
law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline." Another 
architect of the law, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he and Massie will 
"continue to keep the pressure on" and noted that the Justice Department was 
releasing more documents after lawmakers threatened contempt.

   "A Christmas Eve news dump of 'a million more files' only proves what we 
already know: Trump is engaged in a massive coverup," Senate Minority Leader 
Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the DOJ's announcement. "The question 
Americans deserve answered is simple: WHAT are they hiding -- and WHY?"

   The White House on Wednesday defended the Justice Department's handling of 
the Epstein records.

   "President Trump has assembled the greatest cabinet in American history, 
which includes Attorney General Bondi and her team -- like Deputy Attorney 
General Blanche -- who are doing a great job implementing the President's 
agenda," spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

   After releasing an initial wave of records on Friday, the Justice Department 
posted more batches to its website over the weekend and on Tuesday. The Justice 
Department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.

   Records that have been released, including photographs, interview 
transcripts, call logs, court records and other documents, were either already 
public or heavily blacked out, and many lacked necessary context. Records that 
hadn't been seen before include transcripts of grand jury testimony from FBI 
agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who 
described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein.

   Other records made public in recent days include a note from a federal 
prosecutor from January 2020 that said Trump had flown on the financier's 
private plane more often than had been previously known and emails between 
Maxwell and someone who signs off with the initial "A." They contain other 
references that suggest the writer was Britain's former Prince Andrew. In one, 
"A" writes: "How's LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?"

   The senators' call Wednesday for an inspector general audit comes days after 
Schumer introduced a resolution that, if passed, would direct the Senate to 
file or join lawsuits aimed at forcing the Justice Department to comply with 
the disclosure and deadline requirements. In a statement, he called the 
staggered, heavily redacted release "a blatant cover-up."

   Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Sens. Richard Blumenthal, 
D-Conn. and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in leading the call for an inspector general 
audit. Others signing the letter were Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of 
Minnesota., Adam Schiff of California, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Cory Booker and 
Andy Kim, both of New Jersey, Gary Peters of Michigan, Chris Van Hollen, of 
Maryland, Mazie Hirono, of Hawaii, and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

   "Given the (Trump) Administration's historic hostility to releasing the 
files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply 
with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance 
with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential," the senators wrote. 
Full transparency, they said, "is essential in identifying members of our 
society who enabled and participated in Epstein's crimes."