DOJ is making 400 lawyers review the remaining 5.2 million pages of Epstein files, offering them a bizarre incentive to wade through the material

The U.S. Justice Department is mobilizing a massive force of 400 attorneys from four different offices to wade through an astonishing 5.2 million pages of remaining Jeffrey Epstein files, a development that confirms the final release will be delayed well past the congressional deadline, as per Reuters. This is a staggering amount of material, and it looks like we won’t be seeing the full picture until much later than the December 19 deadline Congress originally set.

The sheer scale of this review is unbelievable. These 400 lawyers, pulled from the Criminal Division, the National Security Division, the FBI, and the US Attorney’s office in Manhattan, are expected to dedicate three to five hours every day to the task. They need to review about 1,000 documents per person daily just to get through the material between January 5 and January 23.

The incentives being offered to encourage volunteers for this grim, grueling work are pretty bizarre. Department leaders are trying to sweeten the deal by offering telework options and time off awards. It sounds like they know this is going to be incredibly taxing work, and they’re trying to make it bearable with a little extra vacation time.

Hope time off awards are enough to incentivize people to review millions of documents related to a notorious sex offender and his associates

This massive effort comes right after the Justice Department revealed last week that they had uncovered more than a million additional documents potentially linked to Epstein. The volume just keeps growing, which explains why they need such a huge team.

The push to release these documents is mandated by a transparency law passed by Congress with broad bipartisan support. President Trump, despite previously trying to keep these files sealed for months, ultimately ordered the Justice Department to comply with the law and release the files tied to the criminal probes of the late financier.

So far, the documents that have been disclosed have been heavily redacted, which has frustrated some lawmakers. This ongoing scandal is proving to be a real problem for the party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, especially given the history.

The Justice Department addressed the massive delay, stating that their lawyers are working “around the clock” to review the material and apply the legally required redactions needed to protect victims. They acknowledged that due to the huge volume of material, the process would likely take “a few more weeks” to complete.

For those who need a refresher, Epstein was convicted in Florida back in 2008 for procuring a minor for prostitution. The Justice Department charged him with sex trafficking in 2019, but he was found dead in a New York jail later that year in what was ruled a suicide.

President Trump did know Epstein socially during the 1990s and early 2000s. He has repeatedly stated that their association ended in the mid-2000s, and he maintains that he was never aware of the financier’s horrific sexual abuse. We’ll all be watching to see what details emerge when this massive review is finally complete and the full 5.2 million pages are made public.