Topline
The Trump administration gave an update on its review of the Epstein files in a court filing late Thursday, claiming it’s made “substantial progress” on reviewing more than a million documents concerning Jeffrey Epstein—but nearly a month after missing the deadline to release the files, officials still didn’t give any indication when the materials will be made public.
Attorney General Pam Bondi conducts a news conference at the Department of Justice on December 4, 2025.
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Key Facts
Attorney General Pam Bondi and other DOJ officials filed a letter in the criminal cases against Epstein and associate Ghislaine Maxwell, updating judges on its review of the Epstein files and effort to redact the materials to protect victims’ identities.
The letter was the government’s first update on the files since Jan. 5, when it told the courts it still had more than two million documents left to review—despite federal law requiring the DOJ to have released the files by Dec. 19.
DOJ has made “substantial progress” since its last update, officials claimed, but did not give any clear figures on how many documents it still has left to review, or a timeline for how much longer the review will take.
The letter stated the government “remains focused on releasing materials under the [Epstein Files Transparency] Act promptly while protecting victim privacy,” but also did not give any specific information on how quickly files will be released.
DOJ has employed more than 500 people to review the files, including reassigning 80 lawyers from DOJ’s criminal division, officials told the courts, and has already reviewed files that include “many of the most sensitive categories of information for victims.”
After the Trump administration faced criticism for not properly redacting some of the files that have already been released, officials said Thursday they’re working directly with victims’ counsel and victims themselves on refining its redaction process and further redacting documents that were already made public.
Crucial Quote
“This is a time-intensive process due to the voluminous materials, the idiosyncratic nature of many of the materials, and the need to protect victim identifying information,” officials claimed in their filing Thursday, arguing the Trump administration is “working to complete this review as expeditiously as possible without compromising victims’ privacy so that its production can be complete.”
What We Don’t Know
When any and all of the remaining Epstein files will be released. The government said in its previous filing on Jan. 5 that the review of the remaining documents was expected to last at least a few more weeks—meaning the files would be released by late January at the earliest—but did not give any update to that timeline in its filing Thursday. It also hasn’t given any details on how long it will take to release documents after they’re reviewed, and whether the government intends to keep releasing documents in smaller batches as they’re ready, as it’s done with the first files that were made public.
Big Number
12,285. That’s the number of Epstein files the government has released so far, the government said in its filing on Jan. 5. That’s less than 1% of the total documents it has in its possession, though officials noted many of the more than two million documents it was still reviewing were likely duplicates.
What To Watch For
Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., are urging the judge overseeing Maxwell’s case to appoint a third-party special master to oversee the government’s review and release of the Epstein files. Citing concerns that the Trump administration could continue to delay the files’ release and potentially withhold some documents entirely, the lawmakers argued a special master—a neutral party who would be appointed by the court—would help ensure all materials are “immediately made public.” The monitor would also report to the court on “the true nature and extent of the document production and if improper redactions or other improper conduct is taking place.” The court has asked the Trump administration to respond to Khanna and Massie’s request by Friday and for the lawmakers to file any response by Tuesday. That means a decision on whether a special master will be appointed won’t come until the middle of next week at the earliest—though if one is appointed, that could speed up the process of releasing the files.
Key Background
Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November, which required the DOJ to release all its files on Epstein—with limited exceptions—within 30 days. Lawmakers approved the legislation near-unanimously amid public outcry over the files’ release, after DOJ said over the summer it would not make any further documents public voluntarily. Epstein died in prison in 2019 after being indicted on sex trafficking charges, but his case has remained a source of public fascination due to the high-profile people he associated with. The first documents the government released from the Epstein files after the Dec. 19 deadline included a number of noteworthy documents, such as photos of former President Bill Clinton and flight logs showing President Donald Trump flew on Epstein’s plane alone with the financier and a 20-year-old woman. Many of the materials that are believed to potentially be the most explosive have yet to be released, however, such as information on potential co-conspirators the government was looking into. Neither Trump nor Clinton has been accused of any wrongdoing.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2026/01/16/trump-doj-reports-substantial-progress-on-reviewing-epstein-files-but-still-wont-say-when-theyre-coming-out/
