Epstein bombshell as ‘a million more documents’ found | World | News
US authorities are «working around the clock» after discovering over a million more documents that could be related to the case on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a Christmas Eve bombshell, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on social media on Wednesday lawyers were already working to review and redact the files.
The DOJ said it had been informed about the discovery by the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI. It was not immediately disclosed how prosecutors and the Bureau came across the material. The Justice Department said: «The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI have informed the Department of Justice that they have uncovered over a million more documents potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
«The DOJ has received these documents from SDNY and the FBI to review them for release, in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, existing statutes, and judicial orders.
«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. Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.
«The Department will continue to fully comply with federal law and President Trump’s direction to release the files.»
The bombshell revelation comes just days after the DOJ released over the past few days thousands of ‘Epstein files’ documents – material related to officials’ investigations into the disgraced financier.
The files were released after Congress passed in November the Epstein Files Transparency Act, later signed into law by US President Donald Trump.
The law demanded the DOJ to make publicly available all the Epstein files. The documents can be redacted to make sure the identities of victims are protected, but the law bars to black out names and information to protect individuals from embarrassment or «reputational harm».
The redactions of some of the documents released so far have drawn criticism from Democratic and Republican lawmakers. The DOJ has also been criticised for failing to release all its files on the Epstein case by the deadline set by the Trasparency Act – December 19.
The White House on Wednesday defended the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein records. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement: «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.»
