The full release of the notorious Epstein files was further delayed Wednesday when the U.S. Justice Department announced it had discovered more than a million more documents tied to the convicted sex offender.
President Donald Trump's administration began releasing files related to criminal investigations of Jeffrey Epstein, the late American financier who was friends with Trump in the 1990s, to comply with a law passed by Congress last month.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress passed the law over Trump's objections, requiring that all documents be released by Dec. 19 while allowing partial redactions to protect victims.
Releases so far have contained extensive redactions, angering some Republicans and doing little to defuse a scandal threatening the party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
In a message shared on social media Wednesday, the Justice Department said more than a million additional documents potentially related to Epstein had been uncovered by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, without elaborating on when or how the documents were found.
"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," the department said. "Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks."
