Fresh Epstein Photos Feature Bill Gates, Woody Allen and Other Influential Names

Washington: On Thursday, House Democrats in the US made public 68 new photos related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In these pictures, Epstein can be seen on different social occasions with many rich and influential people. This revelation comes at a time when the US Justice Department is facing a deadline of the end of the week to release the case files related to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Which big names were seen in the pictures?

The new photos feature well-known names like Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, film director Woody Allen, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, philosopher Noam Chomsky, and former Trump advisor Steve Bannon. Apart from this, New York Times columnist David Brooks is also seen in some pictures. The newspaper clarified that Brooks attended only one dinner in 2011 to gather information for his column and that, apart from that one occasion, he had no contact with Epstein.

What explanation was given regarding David Brooks?

Democrats have made it clear that the making of these photos public should not be considered evidence of wrongdoing against any person. The committee says that these photographs do not show any criminal activity on the part of anyone seen with Epstein.

This step has been taken under the law, which was recently signed by President Donald Trump. According to this law, the Justice Department will have to make public the documents related to Epstein and Maxwell by Friday.

Apart from the pictures, what else came to light?

The material released includes not only photographs but also copies of passports, visas, and identity cards of many countries. These include documents from countries like Russia, Ukraine, South Africa, and Lithuania. Confidential information has been removed from these documents.
The collection also includes screenshots of some text messages, in which an unknown person appears to be talking about sending them to girls. These messages also contain mention of money and an 18-year-old girl from Russia, which has made the matter more serious.

Why did the pictures related to 'Lolita' create an uproar?

In some photographs, excerpts from famous writer Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel 'Lolita' are seen written on the body of a woman. In one picture this line is seen written on a woman's chest, while in the other the same excerpt from the novel is seen written on her leg. The book ‘Lolita’ is also visible in the background. The faces of the women and girls in the photographs have been blurred out to protect the identities of potential victims.

Which pictures have already surfaced?

Even before this, Democrats have released photographs at various stages in which Epstein was seen with people like President Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Britain's Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew was also stripped of his royal titles this year after questions were again raised in this matter.

All these photos were obtained by the House Oversight Committee when it issued a subpoena for the material possessed by Epstein before his death. After Epstein's death in a New York jail in 2019, this whole matter became deeper. The committee now has a large collection of more than 95 thousand photographs, whose investigation and review are still going on.