Congressional Democrats on Thursday released dozens of previously unseen photographs from the estate of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revealing images that include prominent public figures such as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, political philosopher Noam Chomsky, and former Trump aide Steve Bannon.
The disclosure comes just a day before the US Justice Department is legally required to make public unclassified records linked to its investigation into Epstein, whose death in jail in 2019 left many questions unanswered about his activities and associations.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said the release of the images was intended to enhance public transparency and shed light on Epstein’s network and the individuals who moved within his orbit. According to the committee, the photographs form part of a vast collection handed over by Epstein’s estate during ongoing congressional scrutiny.
High-profile figures appear in new batch
The newly released set includes 68 photographs, which are part of a much larger archive of nearly 95,000 images provided to the committee, according to Reuters. Among those featured are Bill Gates, Noam Chomsky and Steve Bannon. Representatives for the three did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Last week, committee Democrats had already released 19 images from the same trove, some of which showed now-President Donald Trump. Trump dismissed those earlier photographs as “no big deal.”
Disturbing material highlighted
Lawmakers said the latest batch also contains deeply disturbing content that goes beyond images of well-known individuals. According to the committee, some photographs show close-up images of sentences from Lolita — a controversial novel centred on a man’s obsession with a 12-year-old girl — written in black ink across a woman’s body, including her chest, neck, foot and back.
Other images reportedly include redacted identification documents belonging to women from several countries, including Russia, Morocco, Italy, the Czech Republic, South Africa, Ukraine and Lithuania.
The collection also contains screenshots of a late-night text exchange discussing the sending of girls to an individual identified only as “j,” with messages referencing a payment of $1,000 per girl, further underscoring the gravity of the material under review.
More images still under scrutiny
Committee Democrats said the photographs released so far were chosen to provide the public with a representative sample of Epstein’s activities and connections. They added that thousands of additional images remain under examination, describing them as a mix of “graphic and mundane,” and said the review process is ongoing.
Meanwhile, the White House downplayed the impact of the latest disclosures. In a statement, spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the release does not change the administration’s stance.
“President Trump has consistently called for transparency related to the Epstein files, and his administration has delivered,” she said.
As the Justice Department prepares to release its own unclassified files, the newly surfaced images are likely to intensify scrutiny of Epstein’s network and renew calls for accountability surrounding one of the most disturbing scandals in recent US history.