In the hushed corridors of the Justice Department, seasoned lawyers stare in disbelief at a staggering revelation: over 5.2 million pages of documents from their own Jeffrey Epstein investigations—buried, overlooked, and only now surfacing amid a frantic congressional push for transparency.T

Legal experts are expressing profound astonishment at the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent admission that more than 5.2 million pages of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation remained buried and effectively unknown within its own archives until late 2025. This revelation, emerging just weeks after the Epstein Files Transparency Act mandated full disclosure by December 19, 2025, has ignited accusations of institutional incompetence or deliberate oversight.

The DOJ initially released around 130,000 pages in December, including flight logs, photos, and investigative notes, but heavy redactions drew bipartisan criticism. Then, on Christmas Eve, the department announced the “uncovering” of over a million additional documents from the FBI and Southern District of New York prosecutors. By year’s end, internal memos revealed the total review scope had ballooned to approximately 5.2 million pages—far exceeding prior estimates.

Former federal prosecutors and transparency advocates call this “shocking” and “inexplicable.” “How could the Justice Department, which led the Epstein probes for decades, not know the full extent of its own holdings?” asked one retired U.S. attorney. Critics point to potential mismanagement during transitions between administrations or fragmented storage across bureaus.

The DOJ is now mobilizing nearly 400 lawyers from various divisions to review and redact the material through mid-January 2026, prioritizing victim privacy. Attorney General Pam Bondi defends the process as thorough, insisting delays stem from the unexpected volume rather than obstruction.

Bipartisan sponsors of the transparency law, including Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), demand explanations, with some threatening contempt proceedings. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused officials of “lying” about the files’ scope.

As phased releases resume in 2026, this episode raises troubling questions about federal record-keeping and accountability in high-profile cases involving elite networks.