US House Democrats release new trove of Epstein photos

WASHINGTON

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday released a new batch of photos from disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's estate.

"It is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends,” Robert Garcia, the committee's top Democrat, 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," he added.

The collection of 19 photos is part of a much wider batch of 95,000 that were sent to the committee at its request.

They include images depicting Epstein with some of the world's most wealthy and powerful men, including US President Donald Trump, his longtime political ally Steve Bannon, filmmaker Woody Allen, and pro-Israel attorney Alan Dershowitz.

One photo shows Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly UK Prince Andrew, looking at Bill Gates.

A White House official who commented on the matter on condition of anonymity said none of the photos depict any wrongdoing by Trump.

One photo of Bill Clinton posing with Epstein and his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell is seen as signed by the former president.

Several women have their faces concealed by black boxes, including one woman seen next to Trump on what appears to be a jet. It is unclear if all of the women whose faces were redacted are known survivors of Epstein's abuse, but the committee's Democrats said they are "committed to protecting the identities of the survivors."

A review of the remaining photos is ongoing, with additional releases expected.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson accused the panel's Democrats of "selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative."

"The Democrat hoax against President Trump has been repeatedly debunked and the Trump Administration has done more for Epstein’s victims than Democrats ever have by repeatedly calling for transparency, releasing thousands of pages of documents, and calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends," she said in a statement.