Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein are seen in this image released by the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., U.S., on December 19, 2025 as part of a new trove of documents from its investigations into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. U.S. Justice Department/Handout via REUTERS Image:Reuters/U.S. Justice Department

Discovery of a million more potential Epstein documents delays further releases

24 Dec 2025, 19:55 · Japan Today

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department has found more than a million more documents ‌potentially tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, delaying a full release for weeks while officials redact ⁠details to protect victims, DOJ said ‍on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump's administration ‍began releasing files ‍related to criminal investigations of Epstein, ⁠the late American financier who was friends with Trump in the 1990s, to comply with a law passed by Congress last month.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress passed the law over Trump's objections, requiring that all documents be released ⁠by December 19 while allowing partial redactions to protect victims.

Releases so far have contained extensive redactions, angering some Republicans and doing little to defuse a scandal threatening the party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

In a message shared on social media on Wednesday, the Justice Department said more than a million additional documents potentially related to Epstein had been uncovered by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, without elaborating on when or how ⁠the documents were found.

"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 department ‍said. "Due to the mass volume of material, this ‌process may take a few more ‍weeks."