Congress Fears Bondi Epstein Cover-Up Will Last Beyond Trump Era

The wait for answers in the Jeffrey Epstein saga may drag on for years, thanks to a sluggish document dump from the Trump administration.

Monday’s courtroom drama revealed the Justice Department has dropped just 12,285 files since being forced to open their vaults on December 19—but here’s the bombshell: more than 2 million documents are still collecting dust in various offices. The mind-blowing math? Less than a measly one percent of Epstein-related material has actually made it into the hands of the public.

Sep 3, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; An person holds a “Release the files” sign during a rally to support victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in Washington, D.C., on September 3, 2025. The bipartisan group is calling for the release of the Justice Department files surrounding the case.. Mandatory Credit: Josh Morgan-USA TODAY

Despite the army of lawyers and piles of resources the Department claims to have thrown at the task, at this pace, it could take eight years—yes, EIGHT!—to release everything Congress demanded after passing the Epstein Files Transparency Act last November. And if Trump secures another term, the paperwork party might not wrap up until long after he’s out of the White House.

The DOJ, trying to calm the uproar, insisted in its latest court filing that their staff are working ‘impressively’ hard, but admitted the mountain of files ahead remains ‘substantial.’ Meanwhile, Newsweek reached out for comment, but didn’t hear back by press time.

Lawmakers, survivors, and activists aren’t buying it. Outrage is spreading over the glacial release schedule and censored files. The Department’s first dump—in December—was met with fury: redactions covered up chunks of information, and even photos featuring President Trump were pulled out. One survivor didn’t mince words, calling the move ‘a slap in our faces.’ Congressmen are hopping mad, too—Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, co-author of the bipartisan law with Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, accused justice officials of picking and choosing what the public gets to see.

Sep 11, 2025; Arlington, VA, USA; U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives prior to President Donald Trump’s remarks at a memorial event at the Pentagon on the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2025, in Arlington, VA. On Sept. 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184 people. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY via Imagn Images

So far, the government blames privacy safeguards and the time-consuming scrubbing of victims’ names. Then came an even bigger twist: on Christmas Eve, officials admitted there could be another million-plus documents lurking in the system—pushing the review timeline out even further. And just last week, bombshell reports from the Associated Press and New York Times revealed the DOJ was now combing through more than five million records tied to Epstein’s crimes.

Bottom line: the truth about Epstein’s shadowy network—and who may have been involved—could stay buried well into the next decade. For victims and the curious public, it’s shaping up to be a painfully long wait.