A large archive of documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein is set to be released by Congress ahead of a Dec. 19 deadline, potentially revealing more about his crimes and ties to powerful figures. While the full release is pending, House Democrats have already made public 68 new photos, adding to earlier disclosures.
The newly released images show Epstein with several well-known public figures before his death in 2019, along with redacted passport images and disturbing text messages referencing an 18-year-old woman. Many photos include women whose identities are obscured, some with handwritten quotes from Lolita on their bodies.
Among those pictured are Bill Gates, Noam Chomsky, Steve Bannon, Sergey Brin, David Brooks, David Blaine, and former YouTube CEO Salar Kamangar. Lawmakers stressed that appearing in the photos does not imply criminal activity. Gates has previously said he regrets any association with Epstein.
Representative Robert Garcia said the releases aim to provide transparency, noting the newly published images represent only a small portion of the archive, which reportedly contains more than 95,000 photos.
Epstein, who pleaded guilty to a prostitution charge in 2008, was later charged federally with sex trafficking minors in 2019. He died by suicide in jail while awaiting trial.
