Over 1 Million More Epstein Files Uncovered, DOJ Delays Release and Sparks Clash with Congress

Just when it seemed the full picture might emerge, the Jeffrey Epstein saga just got immensely more complex. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has uncovered more than a million additional documents potentially related to the late sex offender, announcing it will miss a congressional deadline for their release and igniting a fresh political firestorm over transparency.

A 'Massive Volume' of New Material

In a statement on Wednesday, the DOJ said the FBI and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York had found over a million more documents. The department stated that reviewing this massive cache will take "a few more weeks," delaying compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Enacted last month, the law requires the government to open its files on Epstein and his longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell. The DOJ insisted its lawyers are "working around the clock" to make necessary redactions.

Fierce Backlash from Lawmakers

The delay drew immediate and sharp criticism from Congress. A bipartisan group of a dozen U.S. senators, including Republican Lisa Murkowski, sent a letter urging the DOJ's inspector general to audit the department's failure to meet last Friday's deadline. "Victims deserve full disclosure," they wrote, adding that given the Trump Administration's "historic hostility to releasing the files... a neutral assessment of its compliance... is essential." Republican Representative Thomas Massie, a co-sponsor of the act, was more blunt, posting that the "DOJ did break the law."

Defending the delay, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told NBC on Sunday the process is taking time "simply to protect victims" by obscuring their names and identifying information. "The same individuals that are out there complaining... are the same individuals who apparently don't want us to protect victims," he argued.