Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a new batch of photographs obtained from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate on Friday, placing on record several high-profile figures that had interacted with him over the years.
US Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, Bill Gates, Richard Branson were some of the names included in them.
The 19 images, said to come directly from Epstein’s estate by the committee, ostensibly demonstrate the scope of Epstein’s interaction with influential international figures.
While many of those individuals have been connected with Epstein before, the images provide further detail as to the nature and depth of those relationships.
One image shows a smiling Trump with six women, whose faces are redacted. Another is of a bowl of novelty condoms featuring a caricature of Trump and the caption, “I’m HUUUUGE!”
Other images include Bannon with Epstein, Clinton with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and one of Gates with former Prince Andrew. Also included are former Harvard President Larry Summers and attorney Alan Dershowitz.
Democrats on the committee say that none of the photographs depict sexual misconduct, nor do any appear to include underage girls. It also remains unclear when and where the photographs were taken.
White House, Republicans push back
In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson accused Democrats of “selectively releasing cherry-picked photos” to build a misleading narrative.
She pointed to prior disclosures in Epstein-related documents involving Democrats including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Delegate Stacey Plaskett.
Republicans on the committee seconded the criticism, saying Democrats released only a portion of the 95,000 photos the estate turned over.
“Nothing in the documents shows wrongdoing,” a committee spokesperson said.
Democrats defend release
Said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee: “These newly released photos make it all the more critical that the Selection Committee be completely transparent in what was relied on to target certain members’ records for review and others not.
“These photos raise more questions about Epstein’s relationships with some of the world’s most powerful men,” Garcia said. “We will not rest until the American people get the full truth.”
Lawyers for the estate wrote in a letter confirming that the committee could review videos and photographs from any property owned or operated by Epstein from 1990 to 2019.
They added that photos had redactions limited to nudity.
The release comes amid broader committee scrutiny of Epstein’s network, with tens of thousands of emails and documents already made public.
Recent emails revealed Epstein claiming that Trump “knew about the girls” and spent hours with one of his most well-known accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre-allegations Trump and the White House dismissed as a “hoax.”
Many figures associated with Epstein have faced personal or professional consequences while not being charged with crimes.
Summers stepped back from public roles, saying he was “deeply ashamed” of his ties to Epstein, while Mountbatten-Windsor relinquished his royal titles.
Deadline for DOJ looming
According to a law that went into effect last month, the Department of Justice must release all remaining Epstein files by December 19. Rep.
Thomas Massie, who championed the legislation, said that any move by the DOJ not to comply would be a crime.
Garcia pressed the administration to immediately release available files, describing the unreleased photos as “incredibly disturbing.”
This story has been updated with new detail.
CNN.
