Democrats release new Epstein photos ahead of DoJ transparency deadline | Jeffrey Epstein
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released a new batch of photos from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as the Justice Department’s deadline to release its Epstein-related records approaches.
The images, posted Thursday, are undated and lack captions or context. Among them are photographs of what appear to be lines from Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita written on different parts of a woman’s body.
The release keeps the pressure on Donald Trump, whose Justice Department has less than 48 hours to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bill Congress signed into law last month requiring the Justice Department to disclose its files, with few exceptions, related to Epstein.
Over the summer, the Trump administration sparked backlash when the Justice Department said it would not release any additional files on Epstein — despite earlier promises from Trump and his allies on the campaign trail.
Trump had opposed the Congressional bill requiring disclosure of the Justice Department’s Epstein files for months, but reversed course when it became clear it had enough bipartisan support to pass. He signed the bill on November 19.
An image in Thursday’s press release shows text written on a woman’s chest, which reads: “Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue takes a three-step journey along the roof of the mouth to tap, at three o’clock, on the teeth. »
The second image shows a passage written on a woman’s foot: “She was Lo, simply Lo, in the morning, four foot ten in a sock.” »
Additional footage shows the line “She was Lola in pants” written on a woman’s body, and the passage “She was Dolly at school” on a woman’s neck. The final image shows the line “She was Dolores on the dotted line” written on a woman’s spine.
The release also includes photographs of Bill Gates posing with a woman whose face has been redacted, as well as prominent linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky sitting on a plane with Epstein. It has previously been reported that Gates and Chomsky knew Epstein. Gates has previously said he made a “huge mistake” in meeting with Epstein.
Other images show Woody Allen, the director; Steve Bannon, former Trump adviser; and David Brooks, author and New York Times opinion columnist, among others. In November of this year, Brooks wrote a column titled “The Epstein Story? Count Me In.”
Again, no context was provided for these photographs, and the appearance of these people in the photos does not constitute evidence of wrongdoing.
In a statement to the Guardian, a New York Times spokesperson said that “as a journalist, David Brooks regularly attends events to speak with reputable and prominent business leaders to inform his columns, which is exactly what happened at that 2011 event. Mr. Brooks had no contact with him before or after that one attendance at a busy dinner.” »
The lot also includes photos of a number of foreign passports, with the information redacted, as well as Epstein’s U.S. passport.
There is also a screenshot of a text message conversation from an unknown sender referring to an 18-year-old Russian boy. The sender says “I have a Girl Scout friend, she sent me girls today”, then sends “But she’s asking $1000 per girl” and follows up with messages that say “I’ll send you girls now” and “Maybe someone will be good for J?”.
In a statement after the release, Robert Garcia, U.S. Representative and ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said: “Oversight Democrats will continue to release photographs and documents from the Epstein estate to ensure transparency for the American people. »
“As we approach the deadline for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, these new images raise more questions about what exactly the Justice Department has,” he said.
“We must end this White House cover-up and the DoJ must release the Epstein files now.”
With less than 48 hours to go, there are reports of growing frustration within the Justice Department as it races to redact thousands of pages from the files.
According to a source interviewed by CNN, each lawyer in the department’s national security division has handled more than 1,000 documents since Thanksgiving week.
Additionally, with only four pages provided to attorneys as internal guidance on redactions, sources told the outlet that attorneys believe they have not received clear or complete guidance on how to publicly disclose much of the information under the law.
Legal experts expect problems with the Justice Department’s release of the documents, warning that rapid review of a massive trove could lead to excessive redaction or errors, including the disclosure of sensitive personal information.
The new photos were released after Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking crimes, asked a federal court to “vacate, vacate or correct his conviction and sentence.”
The habeas petition, filed Wednesday by Maxwell, claims “substantial new evidence” has emerged from civil suits, government disclosures, investigative reports and other documents that she says support her claim that she did not receive a fair trial.
“This newly available evidence – derived from litigation against the Federal Bureau of Investigation, various financial institutions and the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, as well as sworn depositions, published documents and other verified sources – shows that exculpatory information was withheld, false testimony presented, and material facts misrepresented to the jury and the court,” Maxwell wrote in the motion, which she filed “pro se,” that is, without an attorney.
The filing marks the latest attempt at Maxwell’s release, following several failed appeal attempts since she was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Epstein died in federal custody in 2019, while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that the Justice Department could release grand jury documents from the Maxwell case, citing new law passed by Congress.
A lawyer for Maxwell had argued, according to the New York Times, that public disclosure of these documents “would create undue prejudice so severe as to preclude the possibility of a fair new trial” if his request for a new trial was granted.
