The saga surrounding disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein continued on Friday as Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a fresh batch of photos sourced from the extensive Epstein files. These images prominently feature notable global figures, including former US President Donald Trump, former US President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Bill Gates, pictured alongside the convicted sex offender.
Details of the Photo Release
Out of a total of 95,000 images provided to the committee by Epstein’s estate, the Democrats chose to release 19 new photographs. Other figures pictured in the release include the president’s former advisor Steve Bannon, controversial actor Woody Allen, economist Larry Summers, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, and British entrepreneur Richard Branson.
- Estate Cooperation: Lawyers for Epstein’s estate sent a letter to the committee on Thursday confirming they had provided the requested videos and photographs “taken at any property owned, rented, operated, or used by Epstein from January 1, 1990 through August 10, 2019.”
- Redactions: The estate confirmed they provided minimal redactions, limited only to instances of nudity.
- Transparency Focus: Rep. Robert Garcia (D) called the newly-released photos “significant,” noting that the Democrats have only reviewed about a quarter of the total 95,000 images. Garcia told reporters, “I think people should be able to make judgments on their own as to what they see in these photos. For us, this is about transparency.”
Controversial Images of Trump
Three of the released photos featured Donald Trump, sparking immediate political controversy:
- One image showed Trump surrounded by six women, though the committee redacted the faces of the women.
- A second, highly unusual photo showed an illustration of the former commander-in-chief on red packets, accompanied by a black placard reading “Trump condom.” The placard also featured “$4.50” and the word “finally,” while the red packets contained the text, “I’m HUUUUGE!”
Political Backlash
The release prompted immediate accusations from Republicans on the committee, who accused the Democrats of engaging in political opportunism. Republicans claim the Democrats are “cherry-picking” and “making targeted redactions to create a false narrative about President Trump” with the selective release of the new Epstein photos.