🔗 Share this article

Committee

The Congressional oversight panel has made public a set of around 70 photographs secured from the holdings of late convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

This marks the latest in a series of disclosure from a tranche of over 95,000 photographs the committee has secured from Epstein's estate. It contains photographs of passages from the literary work Lolita scrawled across a woman's body, and redacted images of women's overseas passports.

This action comes mere hours before the 19th of December due date for the DOJ to make public every records associated with its inquiry into Epstein.

"These latest photos pose further questions about exactly what the Department of Justice has in its holdings," remarked the senior Democrat of the panel, Robert Garcia.

What is in the Photographs Made Public

Some of the photos made public on Thursday feature Epstein in discussion with academic and activist Noam Chomsky inside a private plane; Bill Gates seen next to a individual whose identity is obscured; Steve Bannon sitting at a table across from Epstein, and ex- Alphabet president Sergey Brin at a dinner event.

Oversight Panel

These are the newest wealthy, influential men to be photographed in Epstein property images disclosed by the committee - formerly disclosed pictures also show US President Donald Trump and former president Bill Clinton, as well as director Woody Allen, ex- US treasury secretary Larry Summers, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, Andrew Mountbatton-Windsor, and additional individuals.

Being pictured in the photos is not evidence of any illegal activity, and several of the photographed men have asserted they were never involved in Epstein's criminal activity.

In a press release issued alongside the photo disclosure, Lawmakers on the US House Oversight Committee noted the Epstein property holders did not supply explanatory details or timings for the photographs.

"Photos were selected to offer the general populace with openness into a representative sample of the photos obtained from the estate, and to offer perspectives into Epstein's network and his profoundly disturbing actions," the announcement states.

Committee

The disclosure also contains multiple photographs of passages from the Vladimir Nabokov book Lolita written in black ink across various areas of a woman's body, including her chest, feet, hipbone, and rear. Lolita narrates the account of a young girl who was manipulated by a middle-aged literature professor.

One quote from the work inscribed across a female's torso reads, "Lo-lee-ta: the end of the tongue making a journey of three steps down the palate to land, at three, on the teeth".

Additionally, there are a number of photographs of women's identification and official papers from countries globally, like Lithuania, Russia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine.

Committee

The majority of the information on the IDs, like names and DOBs, is redacted but the panel indicated in a statement that the passports are associated with "females whom Jeffrey Epstein and his associates were involved with".

An additional photo depicts Epstein sitting at a table intimately surrounded by three individuals whose identities have been obscured - a first has her palm on Epstein's torso under his garment, and another individual is bending to view a adjacent computer. Epstein can be seen to be aiding the final person attach a piece of jewelry.

Committee

Another photograph released is a capture of text messages from an unidentified sender who claims they have been supplied "several females" and are asking for "$one thousand dollars per female".

Photo Release Comes Prior to DOJ Due Date

The panel has a vast number of photos in its possession from the Epstein property, which are "at once graphic and mundane," its announcement on Thursday explained.

The House Oversight Committee first legally compelled the holdings of Epstein, who died in a New York correctional facility in 2019 while pending legal proceedings on allegations of sex trafficking, in August.

The images and records the Epstein estate submitted to the body are separate from what is commonly termed "Epstein-related records". Those files are papers within the Department of Justice's possession related to its own probe into Epstein.

In accordance with the Transparency Act, which the President enacted last month, the DOJ has a deadline of 19 December to disclose its files. The extent of what's contained in the DOJ's documents is unclear, and it's probable that a significant portion of the content will be significantly obscured, comparable to Congressional materials