Democrats in the US House of Representatives on Friday nineteen photos released from the home of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The photos have been revealed without context and some faces have been redacted. This is to protect victims, the committee investigating the file notes a brief explanation.
Bill Clinton (center) with Jeffrey Epstein (right) and his main accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell (second from right).
Source: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Trump with six anonymized women.
Source: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
The released photos appear no new information to give about the accusations surrounding Epstein, writes, among other things The New York Times. However, the photos once again show that the sex offender did indeed maintain contacts with many powerful men. The photos include current American President Donald Trump and the influential radical right-wing businessman and political strategist Steve Bannon.
Trump condoms
Democratic former President Bill Clinton and Microsoft CEO Bill Gates also appear in the images, as do director Woody Allen and former British Prince Andrew, who recently renounced his titles in order not to further damage the image of the British Royal House.
Perhaps most striking is a photo of condoms with Donald Trump’s portrait on the packaging, with the text below:I’m HUUUUGE”, offered for $4.50. Another photo shows Trump posing with six anonymized women.
There are many thousands of other photos, the committee investigating the Epstein dossier notes a brief explanation. These are still being studied and will be released in the coming “days and weeks.”
From top left to bottom right: Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, ‘Trump condoms’, Donald Trump with an anonymized woman and Woody Allen and Steve Bannon.
Source: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
File public
Trump continues to claim he played no role in Epstein’s wrongdoing. In November, Trump signed a law allowing the release of documents from the Justice Department’s investigation into Epstein. That step was celebrated, but it also came under criticism: Trump himself already has the authority to make the dossier public.
Moreover, the question remains how much of the information will ultimately become public. The law contains exceptions that may mean that not all documents are made public. For example, the Justice Department can withhold information if its release “would jeopardize an ongoing federal investigation.” The deadline for disclosure is next week.
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