More Epstein files coming soon, DOJ says, a month past deadline

April Rubin

Jeffrey Epstein photographed with people surrounding him — Guest and Jeffrey Epstein attend the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the Plaza Hotel in August 1995 in New York City. Photo: Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

The Justice Department said Tuesday it will release the full Epstein files in the "near term," after reviewing and redacting millions of pages.

Why it matters: Blowing more than a month past its legal deadline, the DOJ still has not set a clear date on when documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will go public, as other developments with the Trump administration garner widespread attention.

Driving the news: Hundreds of employees have reviewed the millions of materials to minimize the risk of victim-identifying information, Attorney General Pam Bondi, deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in a Tuesday filing.

The review includes audio and video files in addition to millions of pages of documents.

Catch up quick: The congressionally mandated deadline for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Trump, was Dec. 19.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer on Jan. 21 denied a request from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to appoint an independent monitor to ensure the DOJ's compliance with the act, but he recognized their "legitimate concerns about whether DOJ is faithfully complying with federal law."

Context: As of early this month, the DOJ said it had reviewed less than 1% of all records potentially related to the case.

By the numbers: 69% of U.S. adults said they believe the government is covering up evidence it has about Epstein, according to YouGov polling conducted this month.

61% of respondents said they somewhat or strongly disapprove of the way Trump was handling investigations into Epstein.

Zoom out: Besides the DOJ review, congressional focus on the Epstein case has continued.

On Friday, members of Epstein's inner circle — businessman Les Wexner, lawyer Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn — were subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee.
On Jan. 21, the committee voted to hold former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt for defying subpoenas.

What we're watching: The DOJ says it will soon update its "Epstein Library" with additional documents identified for release.

Go deeper: What we know about Trump's relationship with Epstein