Justice Department Mobilizes Florida Prosecutors to Redact Epstein Records During Christmas Break

Justice Department leaders have asked federal prosecutors in Florida to volunteer during the Christmas holiday period to assist with the review and redaction of documents connected to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

An internal email sent Tuesday directed all prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida to provide immediate remote support for what was described as an “emergency request” from the deputy attorney general’s office. The request specifically tasked assistant U.S. attorneys with reviewing and redacting Epstein-related records, which include hundreds of thousands of photos, internal memos, emails, and investigative materials.

This outreach signals a renewed push by the Trump administration to comply with a congressional mandate requiring the Justice Department to release all Epstein-related files in federal possession. The deadline for completing these redactions passed last Friday, drawing criticism from transparency advocates and lawmakers after the department acknowledged it had not met the timeline.

Since then, the Justice Department has released additional batches of records. The holiday-week request suggests further disclosures could be imminent, potentially extending through Christmas and New Year’s. To encourage participation, DOJ leadership offered volunteer prosecutors compensatory time off at a later date. However, the timing has reportedly frustrated some career attorneys, particularly following a year marked by staffing changes, departures, and internal turmoil within the department.

“I am aware that the timing could not be worse,” leadership wrote in the email. Hundreds of Justice Department lawyers—including national security specialists—have been assigned to the effort over the past month, expanding work initially handled in limited fashion by the FBI and other agencies. The latest request appears to broaden the pool of reviewers more than a month after Congress passed the transparency law and President Donald Trump signed it.

Critics have noted that redaction rules are overly cautious or confusing, potentially slowing progress. When documents were first released Friday, many were already public. However, nearly 30,000 additional records released overnight included new material such as internal prosecutor emails, investigative subpoenas, and interview records related to Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking case.

Justice Department officials maintain that redactions remain necessary to protect victims’ identities and other sensitive information, emphasizing their obligation to balance transparency with privacy and legal safeguards.