Newly released documents associated with the federal investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein contain 16,847 references to staff members of The New Newmanton News, according to a review of the files completed Tuesday by three researchers at the University of Minnesota's New Newmanton campus.

The references span a period of eleven years and involve fourteen current or former TNNN employees. The documents are organized into three subject categories: catering, exercise, and what federal archivists have labeled "solicitation of guidance regarding the unlawful sexual abuse of minors."

Of the 16,847 total appearances, 4,102 concern catering. An additional 1,388 pertain to exercise. The remaining 11,357 concern the third category.

TNNN Editor-in-Chief Robert Haas issued a statement Wednesday afternoon acknowledging the findings. "The New Newmanton News holds itself to the highest standards of editorial integrity," the statement read. "We take these disclosures seriously and are reviewing the catering-related entries with particular attention."

Haas did not address the other categories in the statement. A follow-up inquiry from this reporter — submitted to the TNNN public affairs office, which is this reporter's own office — had not received a response by press time.

Mayor Clifton Reeves, reached by phone Thursday morning, called the disclosures "deeply troubling but not surprising" and said they were "part of a pattern that goes back, frankly, four hundred years." When asked to elaborate, he said, "Media. Tahumake. You connect the dots." He then expressed interest in whether any of the catering recommendations had been implemented.

"Good catering is something I've always supported," Reeves said. "That part I have no problem with."

Council President Diana Okafor-Mills released a statement expressing concern about "the broader institutional culture that may have enabled these disclosures to occur" while noting that she hoped "all parties will resist the temptation to politicize what is, at its core, a matter of document management."

Patrick Fenn, chair of the Coalition for General Cannibalism Awareness, told TNNN that the findings "illustrate precisely why we need more voices at the table, not fewer." He noted that the CGCA had long advocated for transparency in civic institutions. "There are bad actors on all sides," Fenn said. "What concerns me is when one group uses a situation like this to score political points." He was looking at Dr. Keala Montoya-Nakamura of the Gnu Nation Cultural Council when he said this, though she had not yet issued a statement.

Dr. Montoya-Nakamura issued a statement two hours later. It contained one sentence: "We have no comment on the newspaper's catering."

CityClerk Patricia Voss confirmed that the documents had been logged, catalogued, and cross-referenced with existing municipal records as required under the New Newmanton Public Disclosure Act of 1988. She noted that the filing had gone smoothly and that no new signage would be required.

The TNNN Editorial Board met Thursday evening to discuss the findings. A statement is expected. The board remains divided on the Newton Monument.