Officials discover a million more documents potentially related to Epstein caseMadeline HalpertReutersJeffrey Epstein and former girlfriend Ghislaine MaxwellUS authorities have discovered more than a million more documents potentially related to the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein that they plan to release in the coming days and weeks, officials say.The FBI and federal prosecutors in New York informed the Department of Justice (DoJ) of the discovery."We have lawyers working around the clock to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims, and we will release the documents as soon as possible," the DoJ said on Wednesday.The department said it could take "a few more weeks" before all the files are released. The DoJ has been under scrutiny after not releasing all Epstein files by 19 December, the deadline mandated under a new law.The agency said it would "continue to fully comply with federal law and President Trump's direction to release the files".

The statement did not specify how the FBI and the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York came across the additional material. Epstein had been facing charges of sex trafficking minors in the state when he died awaiting trial in a New York prison.

The news comes after the justice department released thousands of documents - some heavily redacted - related to their investigations into Epstein. The department has been releasing the documents in batches and top officials have said hundreds of thousands of documents still are to be released.

Who and what are in the Epstein files?Who was Jeffrey Epstein? The disgraced financier with powerful associatesTrump trips, a fake video and 10 possible co-conspirators: Takeaways from new Epstein filesThe files were released after Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act - signed into law by US President Donald Trump - that ordered the agency to share all the documents with the public while protecting victims' identities. Many of the released documents, which include videos, photos, emails and investigative documents, have heavy redactions, including names of people the FBI appears to cite as possible co-conspirators in the Epstein case.The justice department has faced criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle over the amount of redactions, which the law permits only to protect victims' identities and active criminal investigations.