WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Wednesday that it whitethorn request a “few much weeks” to merchandise each of its records connected the precocious activity offender Jeffrey Epstein aft abruptly discovering much than a cardinal perchance applicable documents, further delaying compliance pinch past Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline.
The Christmas Eve announcement came hours aft a twelve U.S. senators called connected the Justice Department’s watchdog to analyse its nonaccomplishment to meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a Republican, told Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume successful a missive that victims “deserve afloat disclosure” and the “peace of mind” of an independent audit.
The Justice Department said successful a societal media station that national prosecutors successful Manhattan and the FBI “have uncovered complete a cardinal much documents” that could beryllium related to the Epstein lawsuit — a stunning 11th hr improvement aft section officials suggested months agone that they had undertaken a broad reappraisal that accounted for the immense beingness of Epstein-related materials.
In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a “truckload of evidence” had been produced aft she ordered the FBI to “deliver the afloat and complete Epstein files to my office.” She issued the directive aft saying she learned from an unidentified root that the FBI successful New York was “in possession of thousands of pages of documents.”
In July, the FBI and Justice Department indicated successful an unsigned memo that they had undertaken an “exhaustive review” and had wished that nary further grounds should beryllium released — an bonzer about look from the Trump administration, which for months had pledged maximum transparency. The memo did not raise the anticipation that further grounds existed that officials were unaware of aliases had not reviewed.
Wednesday’s station did not opportunity erstwhile the Justice Department was informed of the recently uncovered files.
In a missive past week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan national prosecutors already had much than 3.6 cardinal records from activity trafficking investigations into Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, though galore were copies of worldly already turned complete by the FBI.
The Justice Department said its lawyers are “working about the clock” to reappraisal the documents and region victims names and different identifying accusation arsenic required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the rule enacted past period that requires the authorities to unfastened its files connected Epstein and Maxwell.
“We will merchandise the documents arsenic soon arsenic possible,” the section said. “Due to the wide measurement of material, this process whitethorn return a fewer much weeks.”
The announcement came amid expanding scrutiny connected the Justice Department’s staggered merchandise of Epstein-related records, including from Epstein victims and members of Congress.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, 1 of the main authors of the rule mandating the archive release, posted Wednesday connected X: “DOJ did break the rule by making forbidden redactions and by missing the deadline.” Another designer of the law, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he and Massie will “continue to support the unit on” and noted that the Justice Department was releasing much documents aft lawmakers threatened contempt.
“A Christmas Eve news dump of ‘a cardinal much files’ only proves what we already know: Trump is engaged successful a monolithic coverup,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said aft the DOJ’s announcement. “The mobility Americans merit answered is simple: WHAT are they hiding — and WHY?”
The White House connected Wednesday defended the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein records.
“President Trump has assembled the top furniture successful American history, which includes Attorney General Bondi and her squad — for illustration Deputy Attorney General Blanche — who are doing a awesome occupation implementing the President’s agenda,” spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said successful a statement.
After releasing an first activity of records connected Friday, the Justice Department posted much batches to its website complete the play and connected Tuesday. The Justice Department has not fixed immoderate announcement erstwhile much records mightiness arrive.
Records that person been released, including photographs, question and reply transcripts, telephone logs, tribunal records and different documents, were either already nationalist aliases heavy blacked out, and galore lacked basal context. Records that hadn’t been seen earlier see transcripts of expansive assemblage grounds from FBI agents who described interviews they had pinch respective girls and young women who described being paid to execute activity acts for Epstein.
Other records made nationalist successful caller days see a statement from a national charismatic from January 2020 that said Trump had flown connected the financier’s backstage level much often than had been antecedently known and emails betwixt Maxwell and personification who signs disconnected pinch the first “A.” They incorporate different references that propose the writer was Britain’s erstwhile Prince Andrew. In one, “A” writes: “How’s LA? Have you recovered maine immoderate caller inappropriate friends?”
The senators’ telephone Wednesday for an inspector wide audit comes days aft Schumer introduced a solution that, if passed, would nonstop the Senate to record aliases subordinate lawsuits aimed astatine forcing the Justice Department to comply pinch the disclosure and deadline requirements. In a statement, he called the staggered, heavy redacted merchandise “a blatant cover-up.”
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., successful starring the telephone for an inspector wide audit. Others signing the missive were Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota., Adam Schiff of California, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, some 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 historical hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein lawsuit much broadly, and nonaccomplishment to comply pinch the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral appraisal of its compliance pinch the statutory disclosure requirements is essential,” the senators wrote. Full transparency, they said, “is basal successful identifying members of our nine who enabled and participated successful Epstein’s crimes.”
