A massive archive of documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein is set to be released, potentially shedding new light on his crimes and the powerful figures connected to him.
Congress faces a midnight deadline on Dec. 19 to make the files public — a long-awaited moment tied to questions and controversies that have followed President Trump for years.
However, some photos and messages have already been released, and a new batch of 68 photos was made public on Wednesday.
A number of well-known figures
A newly released set of photographs linked to Jeffrey Epstein shows a number of well-known public figures who had contact with the disgraced financier before his death in 2019.
On Wednesday, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee made additional material connected to Epstein public, shedding more light on his associations and activities prior to his death.
Alongside the photos, the release included chilling text messages from an unidentified sender referencing an 18-year-old woman from Russia.
The documents also contained redacted images of passports from several countries, including Epstein’s own.
Many of the images feature Epstein alongside women, though their identities have been obscured.
In some photos, the women appear with handwritten messages on their bodies.
The phrases shown were taken from Lolita, the controversial 1955 novel centered on a man’s sexual obsession with a 12-year-old girl.
The committee’s decision to release the material comes just one day before Donald Trump’s administration is expected to publish additional Epstein-related files.
Among the recognizable individuals appearing in the photographs are:
Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder
Noam Chomsky, linguist and public intellectual
Steve Bannon, former adviser to Donald Trump
Sergey Brin, Google co-founder
David Brooks, New York Times columnist
David Blaine, illusionist
Salar Kamangar, former YouTube CEO
Do not suggest criminal activity
While these individuals are prominent and influential, committee members emphasized that simply appearing in the photos does not suggest criminal activity.
A spokesperson for Bill Gates has repeatedly stated that Epstein never worked for him, and Gates has previously said he regrets having any association with Epstein.
Speaking to CNN in 2021, Gates said: “It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there.”
Representative Robert Garcia, a Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said the group intends to continue releasing materials connected to Epstein in the interest of public accountability.
Garcia said:
“Oversight Democrats will continue to release photographs and documents from the Epstein estate to provide 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 Department of Justice has in its possession.
“We must end this White House cover-up, and the DOJ must release the Epstein files now.”
According to Garcia, the 68 photos released this week — along with 19 published earlier — represent only a fraction of what remains unreleased.
He said the archive contains “over 95,000 photos, including images of the wealthy and powerful men who spent time with Jeffrey Epstein,” as well as “thousands of photographs of women and Epstein properties.”
Jeffrey Epstein had previously pleaded guilty to a Florida state felony prostitution charge in 2008, serving 13 months behind bars. In 2019, he faced federal charges for sex trafficking minors, charges to which he pleaded not guilty.
He died by suicide in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on accusations of sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls.
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