Administration Decries 'Democrat Hoax' as Additional Jeffrey Epstein Photographs Disclosed
Democratic lawmakers have made public a fresh batch of what they termed "disturbing" pictures from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, depicting notably Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and ex-UK prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The opening batch of 19 photographs—a portion of which have been seen before—plus another 70 unveiled later on Friday account for a tiny fraction of the approximately 100,000 images released to the House oversight committee, which is looking into the conduct and connections of Epstein.
The fallen money manager was a victim of an apparent self-inflicted death in a New York detention cell in 2019 after being indicted on sex-trafficking crimes.
Prominent Personalities in the Photos
Included in the notable figures visible in the first release are celebrities including film director Woody Allen; Microsoft creator Bill Gates; and Richard Branson, creator of the Virgin conglomerate.
Donald Trump is featured in three of the first nineteen images. In one, he is seen with six women, whose faces are redacted.
White House Response
The White House responded to the release in a statement, accusing Democrats of purposefully "cherry-picking" the pictures for partisan aims and to "attempt to fabricate a false account."
"That partisan falsehood against President Trump has been time and again refuted," a White House spokesperson stated, maintaining that "the Trump administration has done more for Epstein's survivors than Democrats have ever done by repeatedly calling for disclosure, releasing thousands of pages of papers, and urging additional probes into Epstein's Democratic associates."
Democratic Lawmaker Remarks
The images were disclosed without context, but according to a California Democrat and senior member of the investigative panel, they prompt further inquiries about Epstein's connections to affluent people.
"It is time to halt this White House cover-up and secure justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his influential associates," he stated in a comment.
The release of these documents coincides with the House panel proceeding with its inquiry into the affair.