Trump features in newly released Epstein photos

Congressional Democrats have released 19 new images from the estate of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey ‍Epstein, including photos of now-President Donald Trump, as a deadline for the comprehensive release of documents related to the recently disgraced financier.

Trump appears in three of the photos shared by House Oversight Committee Democrats, who said they reviewed more than 95,000 images produced by the property.

In a black-and-white photo, Trump is seen smiling with several women on either side with their faces corrected.

In the second photo, Trump is standing next to Epstein, while in the third, less clear photo, he is seen sitting next to another woman with her face corrected and her red tie loosened. It is unknown when and where the photos were taken.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the Trump administration “has done more for Epstein’s victims than Democrats have ever done.”

“It’s time for the media to stop repeating the same things Democrats talk about and start asking Democrats why they want to hang around Epstein after he’s convicted,” he said.

The Epstein scandal has been a political headache for Trump for months, in part because he promoted conspiracy theories about Epstein to his own supporters. Many Trump voters believe Trump administration officials covered up Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and concealed details of his death in a Manhattan jail in 2019, which was ruled a suicide.

The Justice Department said in July that there was no evidence in the Epstein case that would justify investigating any third party and that it had not found any “client list” or people who might have been involved in sex trafficking or any evidence that Epstein had blackmailed anyone.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found that only half of Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of the Epstein case; That rate is well below Trump’s overall 85 percent approval rating in his own party.

Trump and Epstein were friends in the 1990s and early 2000s, but Trump said he broke off their relationship before Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution charges.

Trump has consistently denied knowing about Epstein’s abuse and sex trafficking of underage girls.

Democratic former President Bill Clinton, former Trump aide Steve Bannon, Bill Gates and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, as well as sex toys with Trump’s face and the words “I AM GREATNESS!” written in all caps. “Trump condom” worth US$4.50 ($6.75) is also included.

A spokesman for the committee, led by Republican Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, said Democrats were politicizing the investigation by “collecting random photos and making targeted redactions to create a false narrative about President Trump.”

Democrats said the tens of thousands of photos included “photos of rich and powerful men who spent time with Jeffrey Epstein” and “photos of women and Epstein properties” and that more would be released in the coming days.

“These disturbing photos raise more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world,” California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, said in a statement. he said. “We will not rest until the American people know the truth. The Department of Justice must release all files IMMEDIATELY.”

Congressional Democrats said they altered the women’s faces to protect the identities of Epstein’s victims.

While the U.S. Department of Justice is expected to make the declassified Epstein files from its federal investigation public late next week, the committee continues to receive and release documents.

Last month, Trump signed an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill led by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky that forces the Justice Department to release the Epstein files within 30 days. December 19 will mark the end of this window.