Newly released emails obtained by Bloomberg on Tuesday provide a rare look inside the FBI’s handling of the vast Jeffrey Epstein files, revealing how agents and FOIA personnel meticulously reviewed the redacted records earlier this year.
The documents, released to Bloomberg reporter Jason Leopold via Freedom of Information Act requests, shed light on what the bureau has called the “Epstein Transparency Project” – including the striking number of manhours it took agents to comb through files.
The emails show that around 1,000 FBI special agents from the New York and Washington field offices joined FOIA staff at a Winchester, Virginia, facility to prepare the files for public release, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Personnel were trained on redaction protocols through PowerPoint presentations and instructional videos, with “workflow guidance” updated based on discussions with the Justice Department.
“The FBI paid personnel from various divisions, including counterintelligence and international operations, $851,344 in overtime for working on the Epstein files between March 17 and March 22, according to the documents,” Leopold reported. “FBI personnel clocked in a total of 4,737 hours of overtime between January and July. Of that, more than 70% occurred during the month of March while personnel reviewed the Epstein files, the documents show.”
Emails also reveal that agents reviewed a wide range of materials, including “search warrant execution photos,” “street surveillance video” and “aerial footage from FBI search warrant execution,” the report said.
One email on March 24 noted: “Phase 1 redactions are complete” and added that “Phase 2” preparations were underway for “final delivery to DOJ.” By mid-April, personnel continued to check and refresh files in preparation for public release.
Leopold told readers that he had to sue the FBI to compel release of the emails, which the bureau partially redacted, while withholding “more than 161 pages citing ongoing law enforcement proceedings and other FOIA exemptions.”
Among the documents withheld from Leopold was a May 2 email sent by an FBI employee with an attachment titled, “Epstein Overview FINAL.”