Democrats in the US House of Representatives have released dozens of additional photographs from the estate of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, escalating pressure on the Justice Department ahead of a court-mandated deadline to publish more extensive files.
The new release on Thursday comes just one day before the Department of Justice is required to disclose a broader set of Epstein-related materials under a law passed last month. Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges, in a death officially ruled a suicide but still surrounded by public suspicion.
In a statement, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said they would “continue releasing photographs and documents to provide transparency for the American people”.
“It’s time for the Department of Justice to release the files,” they added.
The latest batch of images includes photos of Epstein with a range of powerful and well-known figures, including public intellectual Noam Chomsky, billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, filmmaker Woody Allen and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, all pictured at Epstein’s compound.
Among the materials is a screenshot of a text exchange that appears to reference recruiting young women.
“I have a friend scout she sent me some girls today. But she asks 1000$ per girl. I will send u girls now. Maybe someone will be good for J?” the message reads.
Other images show women’s passports, as well as the body of an unidentified woman with writing on her skin, photographed next to a copy of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, a novel centred on the sexual exploitation of a child.
As with previous releases, the photos were published without accompanying explanations or confirmation of context. A similar batch released last week included images of Bannon, Allen and Gates, as well as former US President Bill Clinton and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
One photograph again shows President Donald Trump standing with three young women, his hand on the waist of one of them.
Trump has acknowledged knowing Epstein in the past but has repeatedly denied any involvement in his abuse network, saying the two men fell out years before Epstein’s arrest. However, emails previously released by House Democrats show Epstein claiming that Trump “knew about the girls”. In another message, Epstein referred to Trump as “the dog that hasn’t barked”.
The renewed disclosures come amid intense public and political pressure over who else may have been involved in Epstein’s crimes, or shielded him from accountability. The mystery surrounding his death has only deepened the scrutiny.
Trump initially resisted a full release of Epstein-related files but shifted position last month amid mounting pressure, including from figures within his own MAGA base. He ultimately signed into law the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which compels the Justice Department to publish investigative materials.
The latest news in your social feeds
Subscribe to our social media platforms to stay tuned