By YourNews | Source
A federal lawsuit has brought to light the existence of a large collection of FBI records stored in a secured facility at agency headquarters, with officials estimating the materials could total as many as 1.9 million pages.
According to a report, the Justice Department disclosed in court filings that the documents were identified in response to a Freedom of Information Act request tied to a legal challenge seeking records related to internal FBI activities. The materials are the subject of ongoing litigation in Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice.
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In a separate court filing, the FBI described the records as being housed inside a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, where multiple safes contain between approximately 950,000 and 1.9 million pages requiring digitization and review before any potential release.
The agency stated that the documents include both legacy materials tied to closed investigations and more recent files connected to ongoing or prior special counsel matters. Officials indicated that reviewing and processing the materials could take between 10 and 12 months, with additional time required for consultation with other agencies and classification review.
The lawsuit stems from a FOIA request seeking records referenced by former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who described discovering materials in a room at headquarters that had not been processed through standard recordkeeping systems. The request also seeks internal communications and directives related to the handling of those documents.
The legal challenge, filed after the FBI did not respond to the original request, is outlined in a separate lawsuit filing. The request includes references to statements made in a public post and further comments made during a television interview.
In that interview, Bongino said the materials were found in bags and had not been entered into the bureau’s standard systems, noting that some records may involve other intelligence agencies and require coordination before any declassification.
The court filing also details additional requests for internal FBI communications between senior officials, including those in the offices of the director and deputy director, as well as directives regarding how the documents should be handled.
Separately, lawmakers have pointed to related issues raised in oversight efforts. A Senate statement released by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley referenced findings included in a press release, alongside a declassified appendix to the Durham investigation and the broader special counsel report.
Those materials reference prior investigative decisions, including surveillance applications and the handling of intelligence tied to the 2016 presidential election.
The court has directed the FBI to provide additional details in upcoming filings, including the number of internal communications and directives related to the records, with a deadline set for May 11, 2026.
Judicial Watch has also asked the court to require the FBI to complete its search within 60 days and establish a schedule for producing responsive documents.
The latest filing adds to a series of legal actions brought by the organization, including prior cases seeking records related to FBI investigative decisions, such as a lawsuit over the initiation of a probe into Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, disclosures tied to the “Crossfire Hurricane” electronic communication, and additional FOIA actions concerning surveillance applications and internal communications.
Other previously released materials include FISA-related court filings, records concerning Christopher Steele, and documents detailing communications involving government officials and intelligence-sharing activities.
The newly disclosed volume of records, along with the time required to process them, underscores the scope of the materials now under review as the case continues in federal court.