House Democrats on the Oversight Committee released 19 photographs from Jeffrey Epstein's estate on Friday, placing President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and a roster of other prominent figures back at the center of a renewed congressional push to force the Justice Department to disclose remaining files tied to the late financier's criminal case.
The images, which the committee said came from a trove of more than 95,000 photographs obtained from Epstein's estate, show Trump, Clinton, Steve Bannon, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and others in social settings connected to Epstein. None of the photos depict sexual misconduct or are believed to involve minors, and the committee did not provide dates, locations or context for when they were taken.
Taken together, the release underscores how Epstein moved for years within elite political, business and cultural circles, a reality that lawmakers say warrants full public disclosure of federal investigative records before a Dec. 19 deadline set by Congress.
Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said the latest production included "over 95,000 photos, including images of the wealthy and powerful men who spent time with Jeffrey Epstein" and "thousands of photographs of women and Epstein properties."
"It is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends," Garcia 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."
Among the images released was a photograph showing what appears to be a bowl of novelty condoms bearing a caricature of Trump's face, alongside separate photos of Trump with women whose faces were redacted. Other images show Epstein posing with Bannon in a mirror selfie, Clinton alongside Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and Gates pictured with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former British prince.
The committee obtained the materials as part of a broader investigation that has already produced tens of thousands of emails and documents from the estate. In a letter to the panel, lawyers for the estate wrote that the production included materials that "may not be responsive," adding that redactions were "limited to nudity."
Democrats said the photo release was aimed at reinforcing their call for transparency as judges have approved the release of grand jury transcripts and other evidence tied to Epstein and Maxwell. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, "All we want is full transparency. That's what the Epstein survivors deserve and have demanded."
Republicans on the committee pushed back sharply. A committee spokesperson accused Democrats of "cherry-picking photos and making targeted redactions to create a false narrative about President Trump," adding, "Nothing in the documents we've received shows any wrongdoing."
Many of the individuals pictured have previously addressed their associations with Epstein. A spokesperson for Gates has said Epstein never worked for him, and Gates told CNN's Anderson Cooper in 2021: "It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there." Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing, and his representatives have said he cut ties with Epstein before his 2019 arrest.
Trump's past social ties to Epstein have been widely documented, though he has not been accused of criminal conduct. The White House has previously dismissed related document releases as politically motivated, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying recent emails "prove absolutely nothing, other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong."
Garcia said committee staff had reviewed roughly 25,000 photos so far and indicated more images could be released in the coming days as redactions continue, keeping the spotlight on Epstein's network as the disclosure deadline approaches.
