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More than two weeks have passed since the Dec. 19 deadline to release the trove of files related to the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, and the Justice Department says it still has millions of documents to review.
The department said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer of the Southern District of New York that “there are more than 2 million documents potentially responsive to the Act that are in various phases of review.”
In its letter, the DOJ laid out the key steps in its review process, including identifying the documents, uploading them to a data review platform, manually reviewing the documents for victim information, making redactions, engaging global and “SDNY-specific” quality control checks, posting responsive materials and responding to requests from victims and members of the public.
NEW BATCH OF EPSTEIN FILES RELEASED BY DOJ
Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed in November, the DOJ was required “to publish (in a searchable and downloadable format) all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in DOJ’s possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.”
So far, the DOJ has released approximately 12,285 documents comprising around 125,575 pages, which is less than 1% of all records potentially related to the case, according to Axios. While there are stacks of unreleased files remaining, the DOJ said in the letter that it believes “a meaningful portion” of the documents are duplicates.
HERE IS WHAT‘S IN THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE’S LATEST EPSTEIN FILES DROP
“The Department’s identification and collection efforts span documents that remain to be reviewed vary widely. As a result, and in light of its experience to date in order to facilitate the prompt release of materials under the Act while continuing to protect victim privacy to the maximum extent practicable, it is appropriate for the Department to modify its procedures for their review based on various factors including, without limitation, document type and likelihood that the document contains victim identifying information or privileged information,” the letter read.
As the department looks to release more documents while complying with privacy standards and court orders, it is overhauling its review process by eliminating duplicate materials, prioritizing responsive records, categorizing documents based on sensitivity, and assigning experienced SDNY attorneys to oversee reviews and redactions involving victim-identifying information.
“Currently, and anticipated for the next few weeks ahead, in the range of over 400 lawyers across the Department will dedicate all or a substantial portion of their workday to the Department’s efforts to comply with the Act,” the letter read. “These efforts include over 125 lawyers in the Southern District of New York as well as dozens of lawyers from each of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida, the Criminal Division of the Department, and the National Security Division of the Department.”
The DOJ did not propose a new timeline for releasing the documents nor did it estimate when it would complete its review.
Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment.
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