(NewsNation) — The Department of Justice is enlisting the assistance of hundreds of attorneys to review more than 5 million documents linked to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
The report, citing sources familiar with the review process, stated that approximately 400 lawyers are reviewing documents and that federal prosecutors normally assigned to handle national security and criminal cases are being pulled in to review the records.
The DOJ released about 300,000 documents and files earlier this month when the agency faced a Dec. 19 deadline to release all of the files linked to the investigation into the convicted sex offender. In a statement released by the DOJ at the time, officials said that the agency has more than 200 attorneys “working around the clock” reviewing each individual file.
The agency then released another 11,000 documents totaling 30,000 pages on Dec. 23, which included references to President Donald Trump. The release also included hundreds of videos and a postcard allegedly sent by Epstein to Larry Nassar, which the DOJ confirmed was a fake.
A DOJ spokesperson did not immediately return a message from NewsNation on Wednesday seeking comment on the 5.2 million document figure cited by the New York Times. However, in a social media post, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote that attorneys from the DOJ, FBI, Southern District of Florida and Southern District of New York are working through the holidays, including Christmas and New Years, as part of the review process.
“It truly is an all-hands-on-deck approach and we’re asking as many lawyers as possible to commit their time to review the documents that remain,” Blanche wrote on X on Wednesday. “Required redactions to protect victims take time, but they will not stop these materials from being released. The Attorney General’s and this Administration’s goal is simple: transparency and protecting victims.”
After the release of files this month, the DOJ said that it has hundreds of thousands of pages of material to release, including material that must comply with court orders. Officials referred to the review process as “arduous” and said that each document and photograph must be reviewed by the DOJ and the Southern District of New York.
Many of the documents have been heavily redacted to protect victims or potential victims.
In November, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that demands the full release of the Epstein files. The vote took place after a months-long effort that advanced despite initial opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership.
The current review of documents is expected to last until Jan. 20, the New York Times reported. To meet mounting pressure from Democrats to release all of the documents associated with the Epstein investigation, employees within the DOJ have been told that more assistance is needed to complete the review.