Administration Decries 'Democratic Hoax' as Further Epstein Estate Photographs Disclosed
Democratic lawmakers have released a new tranche of what they termed "alarming" photographs from the estate of adjudicated sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, depicting notably Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and former British royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The first release of 19 images—some of which have been seen before—combined with another 70 released later on Friday account for a tiny fraction of the almost 100,000 images handed over to the House investigative panel, which is looking into the behavior and associations of Epstein.
The disgraced financier died by apparent suicide in a New York detention cell in 2019 after being charged with sex-trafficking crimes.
Prominent Personalities in the Photos
Among the notable figures seen in the first release are public figures such as film director Woody Allen; Microsoft creator Bill Gates; and Richard Branson, originator of the Virgin empire.
Donald Trump appears in three of the initial 19 images. In one, he is seen with six women, whose faces are redacted.
Administration Response
The White House responded to the release in a statement, charging Democrats of purposefully "choosing" the pictures for political purposes and to "attempt to fabricate a false narrative."
"This Democratic fabrication against President Trump has been consistently disproven," a White House spokesperson said, maintaining that "this presidency has achieved more for Epstein's victims than Democrats have at any point by consistently demanding transparency, making public numerous documents of papers, and urging further investigations into Epstein's Democratic associates."
Democratic Lawmaker Remarks
The photos were released without context, but according to a Democratic representative from California and senior member of the investigative panel, they raise more questions about Epstein's connections to wealthy individuals.
"Now is the occasion to stop this White House concealment and bring justice to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends," he declared in a release.
The publication of these documents comes as the oversight committee proceeding with its probe into the Epstein matter.
