The Justice Department said Tuesday it will release the full Epstein files in the "near term," after reviewing and redacting millions of pages.
Why it matters: Blowing more than a month past its legal deadline, the DOJ still has not set a clear date on when documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will go public, as other developments with the Trump administration garner widespread attention.
Driving the news: Hundreds of employees have reviewed the millions of materials to minimize the risk of victim-identifying information, Attorney General Pam Bondi, deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in a Tuesday filing.
- The review includes audio and video files in addition to millions of pages of documents.
Catch up quick: The congressionally mandated deadline for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Trump, was Dec. 19.
- U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer on Jan. 21 denied a request from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to appoint an independent monitor to ensure the DOJ's compliance with the act, but he recognized their "legitimate concerns about whether DOJ is faithfully complying with federal law."
Context: As of early this month, the DOJ said it had reviewed less than 1% of all records potentially related to the case.
By the numbers: 69% of U.S. adults said they believe the government is covering up evidence it has about Epstein, according to YouGov polling conducted this month.
- 61% of respondents said they somewhat or strongly disapprove of the way Trump was handling investigations into Epstein.
Zoom out: Besides the DOJ review, congressional focus on the Epstein case has continued.
- On Friday, members of Epstein's inner circle — businessman Les Wexner, lawyer Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn — were subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee.
- On Jan. 21, the committee voted to hold former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt for defying subpoenas.
What we're watching: The DOJ says it will soon update its "Epstein Library" with additional documents identified for release.
Go deeper: What we know about Trump's relationship with Epstein
