WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice has significantly ramped up its examination of documents concerning convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, now reviewing a total of 5.2 million files. This expansion is part of a broader effort to comply with legal requirements for releasing these documents, as shared by a person familiar with a recent communication to U.S. Attorneys.

This figure marks the latest development in the ongoing investigation into Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. The review has already surpassed a congressionally mandated deadline by more than a week.

Despite enlisting over 400 attorneys for the task, the Justice Department doesn’t anticipate making further documents available until January 20 or 21. This information comes from an anonymous source not authorized to officially comment on the matter.

The White House has not contested the details provided in the communication and referred to a statement from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Blanche described the review process as an “all-hands-on-deck approach.”

According to Blanche, attorneys from the Justice Department in Washington, the FBI, and legal teams from the Southern Districts of Florida and New York are tirelessly working to scrutinize the documents. This update, including the increased number of documents and legal personnel involved, was initially reported by The New York Times.

“We’re asking as many lawyers as possible to commit their time to review the documents that remain,” Blanche said. “Required redactions to protect victims take time but they will not stop these materials from being released.”

Still, Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing pressure from Congress after the Justice Department’s rollout of information has lagged behind the Dec. 19 deadline to release the information.

“Should Attorney General Pam Bondi be impeached?” Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who helped lead the effort to pass the law mandating the document release, asked on social media this week.

Democrats also are reviewing their legal options as they continue to seize on an issue that has caused cracks in the Republican Party and at times flummoxed President Donald Trump’s administration.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on social media that the latest figures from the Department of Justice “shows Bondi, Blanche, and others at the DOJ have been lying to the American people about the Epstein files since day one” and pointed out that the documents released so far represented a fraction of the total.