US House Democrats publish 68 new photos from Epstein’s estate, increasing pressure on the Justice Department to release federal files by deadline.
WASHINGTON: House Democrats published a new batch of photographs from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate on Thursday.
The release increases pressure on the Trump administration ahead of a Friday deadline to release federal files on the late financier.
The 68 images were shared without added context as part of a larger cache obtained by Congress.
Newly released photos include redacted passports and identity documents from multiple countries.
Several documents are marked “female,” including passports from Ukraine and Russia, with faces obscured.
Other photographs show Noam Chomsky seated with Epstein on what appears to be an aircraft.
Images also include Bill Gates posing beside a woman with a blurred face.
The cache features filmmaker Woody Allen and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who appeared in an earlier release.
The latest photographs do not appear to depict any unlawful conduct by the subjects.
One screenshot shows a text exchange discussing recruiting young women for a fee.
The text mentions sending girls for “J” and includes a reference to an “18 y old” with a redacted description.
A separate image shows a woman’s foot bearing a handwritten quote from Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita.”
Democrats say they are publishing material as it arrives while redacting identifying information for victims.
Republicans on the Oversight Committee have accused Democrats of “cherry-picking” to shape a narrative.
The Justice Department has remained silent on whether it will meet Friday’s deadline.
The deadline was set by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed last month with bipartisan support.
The law requires the DOJ to publish comprehensive Epstein-related materials while safeguarding victims’ identities.
Epstein died in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
His death was ruled a suicide, fueling conspiracy theories and demands for accountability.
Oversight Committee top Democrat Robert Garcia called for the Justice Department to “release the Epstein files now.” – AFP
