"Remember that Marc Caputo column - it was published on December 23 - stating that the Epstein releases could last a whole 'nother week? On the day that would mark that week, December 30, Devlin Barrett published a story saying that, "The document review" of what is now believed to be 5.2 million documents "is expected to take until at least Jan. 20, according to a person familiar with the matter." Even if they could finish it by January 20 (they won't), that'll just be the first go-around."
"DOJ has not done what they need to do to document the redactions, so there'll be demands from Congress for them to do that (with obvious areas - including DOJ names and some deliberative documents specifically included in the law, where they're in violation), they'll need to repeat the entire process over again, Congress will begin to bring more legal pressure, and all the while survivors will be pointing out things they missed."
Epstein-related document releases involve an enormous backlog, now believed to be roughly 5.2 million documents, and the review timeline has been extended well beyond initial expectations. The Department of Justice has not fully documented redactions, creating legal and congressional pressure to repeat review cycles and to justify withheld material. Survivors and investigators will continue to identify omissions and demand further disclosures. The Epstein scandal has eroded elements of Trump's power, but that alone is insufficient to ensure political consequences. Additional strategies are needed that use Trumps own conspiracism and grievance dynamics against him. Scrutiny and legal processes will continue for a long time.
Read at emptywheel
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