House Democrats have released a new batch of 68 photographs from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, intensifying pressure on the US Justice Department to publish its unclassified files on the late financier before a legal deadline at the end of the week.
The images are part of a cache of more than 95,000 photographs obtained by the House Oversight Committee after it issued a subpoena for material Epstein had in his possession before he died in federal custody in 2019. Democrats on the committee have said they are reviewing the full set and will continue to release photographs publicly while taking steps to protect survivors’ identities.
The latest release comes as the Justice Department faces a deadline to disclose a broad range of records connected to Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell under a new law enacted in November. The statute, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, requires the department to publish, in searchable and downloadable form, all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials in its possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Epstein, including materials relating to Maxwell, flight logs and travel records, and individuals “named or referenced” in connection with the case.
The law allows the Justice Department to withhold certain categories of information, including personal information about victims and material that would jeopardise an active federal investigation. It also requires the department, within 15 days after publication, to report to Congress on what was released and what was withheld, including summaries of redactions and a list of government officials and politically exposed individuals named or referenced in the published materials.
According to the Associated Press, the new set of photographs includes images showing Epstein with prominent figures and at gatherings involving wealthy philanthropists, alongside documents such as passports, visas and identification cards from multiple countries with personally identifying information redacted. The report said the photos also include pictures of Epstein with women or girls whose faces have been obscured, in line with lawmakers’ stated aim of preventing the identification of victims. The committee made no accusations of wrongdoing by men shown in the images.
In a statement released earlier this month after the committee received the broader collection, Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, said the production included “over 95,000 photos” and described them as raising questions about Epstein’s relationships with powerful men. “The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW,” Garcia said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has also publicly pressed for full disclosure, framing the matter as one of accountability and justice for survivors. In remarks reported by Anadolu Agency, Jeffries said: “All we want is full transparency, so that the American people can get the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That’s what the Epstein survivors deserve and have demanded.”
Epstein, a wealthy financier with extensive social and political connections, became the subject of renewed scrutiny after his 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges. He was found dead in a New York jail cell while awaiting trial. Epstein had previously pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to procuring a minor for prostitution, a conviction that has remained a central reference point in public debate over how the criminal justice system handled allegations against him.
The drive for disclosure has played out against a background of years of speculation about the scope of Epstein’s network and what federal authorities may hold in their records about the people who associated with him. The Associated Press noted that anticipation surrounding the Justice Department’s files has been amplified by “conspiracy theories and speculation” about Epstein’s friendships with a range of well-known figures across politics and public life.
David Blaine, Steve Bannon, Woody Allen, Bill Gates and Noam Chomsky appear in photographs.
President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law in November, and has cast the release as a political issue as well as a transparency measure. In a Truth Social post cited by Al Jazeera, Trump wrote: “I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!”
The act’s requirements focus on the Justice Department’s unclassified holdings and create a formal mechanism for public release with permitted redactions, rather than authorising indiscriminate disclosure. Congress.gov’s summary specifies that the publication must cover investigative materials in the department’s possession, but also explicitly recognises carve-outs designed to protect victims and avoid jeopardising ongoing investigations.
Democrats involved in the Oversight effort have said the staged release of estate material is intended to increase transparency while limiting potential harm to survivors. The Associated Press reported that the newly released images include redacted identification documents from countries including Russia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, South Africa and Lithuania, alongside other items such as visas and passports.
The committee’s release of photographs from Epstein’s estate is separate from the Justice Department’s statutory obligation to publish its investigative materials, but both tracks have converged in the final hours before the deadline. Sky News reported that Democrats published the latest set of images just hours ahead of the cut-off for the department to release the files it holds.
The coming disclosure, if it proceeds as required, is expected to include a large volume of documents and materials that have been discussed publicly for years, such as travel-related records and other investigative items, while also reflecting the constraints set out in law on protecting victims’ personal information.