Democratic US lawmakers have released two new batches of photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estate, revealing details of the convicted paedophile's home and ties to the rich and powerful.
US President Donald Trump, former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon are among the high-profile figures featured in the photos. The images, many of which have been seen before, do not imply wrongdoing.
The nearly 100 photos released by members of the House Oversight Committee on Friday are some of more than 95,000 images obtained via subpoena, the Democrats said. The justice department is separately approaching a deadline next week to publish all Epstein-related documents.
In the first batch of photos released on Friday by lawmakers, Epstein is seen with multiple high-profile figures, none of whom have yet commented. Many of them have previously denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Trump appeared in three of the images released on Friday. One image showed him standing next to a woman whose face has been redacted. Another showed Trump standing next to Epstein while talking to model Ingrid Seynhaeve at a 1997 Victoria's Secret party in New York – an image that was already publicly available. A third photo showed Trump smiling with several women, whose faces have also been redacted.
The White House called the release a Democrat hoax against Trump that has been repeatedly debunked. Trump had for months argued the Epstein saga was a distraction orchestrated by his critics to take attention away from his administration's accomplishments.
Friday's files also include private images of Epstein, including one of him in a bathtub and another that appears to show sexual toys. They also show him with several other prominent people including former President Bill Clinton and tech billionaire Bill Gates.
One photo featuring Clinton shows him standing next to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 for her role in facilitating the disgraced financier's abuse. Clinton has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. In 2019, a spokesperson said he knows nothing about the terrible crimes Epstein pleaded guilty to.
Trump was asked about the new photos on Friday evening and told reporters that a lot of people knew and were photographed with Epstein, calling the release no big deal. Trump was friends with Epstein in the 1990s, but according to the president, the pair fell out in the early 2000s, two years before Epstein was first arrested.
The upcoming deadline for the release of documents related to the Epstein case has drawn attention, as the justice department must comply by December 19, following congressional pressure for transparency regarding his wealthy connections.
