Law schmaw!
On Monday, the Justice Department told a court it had released 12,285 files since being compelled to do so on December 19. However, it went on to say that there are "more than 2 million documents" that remain in "various phases of review."
Despite hundreds of attorneys and "substantial Department resources" being devoted to the effort, the released materials represent less than one percent of the total volume in the DOJ’s possession. Assuming all those under review will be disclosed, the entire process would take over eight years to complete. [I assume that's based on some assumption that they're released at a constant rate, which is not worth much.]
"While the commitment of Department personnel to this effort has been substantial in breadth and impressive in effort, substantial work remains to be done," the Justice Department said in Monday’s filing.
Per the terms of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan bill which passed both chambers and was signed into law on November 19, the Justice Department had 30 days to publicly release all unclassified records, files, communications and investigative materials on Epstein. Minimal redactions were permitted to safeguard victims' identities and national security, and to ensure ongoing investigations were not jeopardized by the publication.
A handful of senators have called on the Department of Justice’s watchdog to investigate its failure to release all records pertaining to Epstein by the congressionally mandated deadline. Meanwhile, Massie and Khanna have said they are considering holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in inherent contempt over the matter.