A pair of newly released photos from the Department of Justice (DOJ) files on Jeffrey Epstein appear to show the late, convicted s** trafficker in the presence of a young child.
The materials, released by the DOJ on Friday, Dec. 19, include two images of Epstein — who was previously charged by the DOJ with trafficking minors and died in prison in August 2019 — lounging shirtless in what looks like a living space. In the photos, Epstein smiles and poses on a couch. In one corner, a small leg wearing a black shoe is visible, extending over a chair piled with items.
The images were released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump on Nov. 19 and requires the DOJ to make files related to Epstein’s trafficking investigation public and searchable.
The Oversight Committee began releasing photographs from Epstein’s estate in early December and said it plans to release more as it reviews nearly 100,000 documents.
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Other materials released this month include photos of Epstein with numerous high-profile figures, including Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey and Michael Jackson. None of the individuals shown in the photos have been accused of criminal behavior in connection with the images, and the photos were released without context.
Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Angel Ureña, addressed the photos on X, writing: “They can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be. Even Susie Wiles said Donald Trump was wrong about Bill Clinton.”
Gates also commented on his past interactions with Epstein during a January interview with The Wall Street Journal.
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“In retrospect, I was foolish to spend any time with him,” he said. “And he, sort of, got time with various people by spending time with other people. So yes, I think I was quite stupid. I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy. In fact, it failed to do that; it was just a huge mistake.”
More records and photos may be released in the future, according to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. On Friday, Blanche said the agency would not be able to release the Epstein files in full immediately, citing the need for additional time to complete redactions across hundreds of thousands of pages tied to the investigation.
“Today, the Department of Justice publicly released materials related to Jeffrey Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” Blanche wrote in a post on his X account. “Additional responsive materials will be produced as our review continues, consistent with the law and with protections for victims.”
Blanche added in an interview with Fox News that his office expects to release “several hundred thousand more” documents related to the Epstein investigation “in the next couple weeks,” The Hill reported.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the release, focusing on the extent of redactions. “Simply releasing a mountain of blacked-out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law,” he said in a statement provided to The New York Times. “For example, all 119 pages of one document were completely blacked out. We need answers as to why.”
