Trump and Bill Clinton Among Several High-Profile Figures Seen in Newly Released Photos from Epstein’s Estate
New photos from the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s estate released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday include pictures of a number of prominent figures, includingPresident Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
The 19 photos also include shots of Epstein with longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon, former Clinton Treasury Secretary and Harvard President Larry Summers, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, director Woody Allen, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, and Epstein’s former lawyer Alan Dershowitz.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]
None of the photos appear to show illegal activity.
“It is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends,” Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the ranking member of the Oversight Committee, said in a statement. “These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW.”
Garcia’s office said Democrats on the committee “will continue to release photos to the public in the days and weeks ahead” and are “committed to protecting the identities of the survivors.”
When asked about his reaction to the photos on Friday evening in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters, “Well, I haven’t seen it, but I mean everybody knew this man. He was all over Palm Beach; he has photos with everybody. I mean, almost—there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him, so that’s no big deal. I know nothing about it.”
Read more: How the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein Beat Washington at Its Own Game
One of the photos released on Friday appears to be signed by Clinton and shows the former President posing alongside Epstein and the late sex offender’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking operation.
Clinton’s name has previously appeared in documents released in connection with Epstein’s case. Republicans have subpoenaed him, along with his wife, Hillary Clinton, and others for documents and materials in the committee’s Epstein investigation, though a date has yet to be set for their testimonies. The former President has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and denied visiting the financier’s island.
In other photos, Trump can be seen with a woman whose face has been redacted; smiling among a group of women whose faces have also been redacted; and standing beside Epstein while speaking with a blond woman. Another image shows novelty condoms bearing an image of the President’s face and the words “I’m HUUUUGE!” in front of a sign reading “Trump Condom $4.50.”
Trump’s name has also appeared in other releases connected with Epstein’s case, including emails released by Democrats on the Oversight Committee last month in which the late sex offender alleged Trump “knew about the girls” and “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with one of them.
The President has not been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein and has denied having any prior knowledge of the late sex offender’s conduct. In recent months, as his years-long relationship with Epstein and his Administration’s handling of files related to the case have drawn heightened scrutiny, he has repeatedly sought to dismiss the matter as a politically motivated “hoax.” But despite those attempts at deflection, controversy surrounding the issue has continued to mount.
A Monday Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates that only 23% of Americans approve of the way Trump is handling the Epstein scandal, while 52% disapprove. Some 53% of the president’s Republican supporters are satisfied with his handling, up from 44% last month, but still well below the around 85% approval rating he has among Republicans. Meanwhile, 62% believe the government is withholding secrets about Epstein’s 2019 death and 70% about the trafficking the late financier was accused of.
Read more: Inside Trump and Epstein’s Long, Complicated Relationship
In addition to the images featuring Trump and former President Clinton, Gates can be seen in multiple photos included in the Friday release. In one, he is pictured smiling at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II. Another shows Gates standing with Epstein.
Gates previously denied having any kind of personal or business relationship with Epstein. In 2021, the Microsoft co-founder acknowledged to CNN’s Anderson Cooper that he met Epstein multiple times in hopes of raising money for philanthropy and said he regretted it. “It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there,” Gates said.
The former Prince Andrew has also denied wrongdoing. In late October, he was stripped of his titles and evicted from his royal residence in late October amid scrutiny over his connection to Epstein.
Summers, who can be seen in one of the photos on what looks like a small plane, recently faced blowback over his own ties to the late sex offender. After the House Oversight Committee released a tranche of Epstein-related documents last month that included emails between Summers and Epstein which showed that Summers maintained his friendly relationship with the disgraced financier long after he was first convicted of sex crimes in 2008, Summers was banned for life from the prestigious American Economic Association, resigned from OpenAi’s the board of directors, and took leave from his role at Harvard. He said at the time that he was “deeply ashamed” and took full responsibility for his “misguided decision” to continue communicating with Epstein.
Bannon, who served as Trump’s chief strategist during the President’s first term, is seen in the photos speaking to Epstein while the late sex offender sits on the opposite side of a desk and, in another image, posing with Epstein in front of a mirror. Exchanges between Bannon and Epstein have also been included in previous releases in connection with the case.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a second batch of 70 images from the late convicted sex offender’s estate mere hours after the first set. These photos, released without much context, largely seem to showcase Epstein’s resort on the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Although lawmakers didn’t say much else about the second release on Friday, they did suggest that the latest drop from the Epstein estate was being shared with the purpose of “transparency.”
They included obscure images of bathrooms, stairwells, decorating tools, and a machine labelled “massage therapy system.” It is unknown if these were taken from the disgraced financier’s properties.
In total, the nearly 100 images that featured high-profile figures previously linked to Epstein’s orbit and his resort only scratch the surface of the 95,000 images the committee allegedly received from his estate.
The Justice Department is required to release all its files related to Epstein by Dec. 19 under a law Congress passed and Trump signed last month. After months of resisting calls to release the files, the President changed his tune and signaled his approval for Republicans to vote in favor of releasing the files in November.