US President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and film director Woody Allen as well as other influential personalities can be seen in photos with the now deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which were published by the Democrats in the US Congress.
The former British Prince Andrew, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, entrepreneur Richard Branson and the ultra-right journalist Steve Bannon can also be seen in pictures from Epstein’s estate. The recordings show the people during conversations or how they pose for the camera. The authenticity of the photos could not initially be independently verified. Any criminal acts were not visible to the viewer.
Trump can be seen in the photos, among other things, accompanied by several women. In another picture he is standing right next to Epstein. It is not the first time that Trump has been seen in recordings with him.
In another now-released photo, there is an image of Trump on condom packaging with the inscription “I’m HUUUUGE!” (in German: I am huge!) recognizable. According to the National Museum of American History, the condom is satirical. A photo of Clinton was published showing the ex-president with Epstein and his long-time confidant Ghislaine Maxwell. The picture is captioned with Clinton’s name.
On Friday afternoon (local time), the Democrats from the US Congress published further photos. Epstein can be seen, among other things, lying naked in a bathtub – half covered by a shower curtain. In another picture, a dentist’s chair appears again, which was already seen earlier this month when several photos of Epstein’s private island were published.
Trump downplayed the significance of publishing the photos when asked by journalists: “It’s not a big deal.” Everyone knew this man, he said of Epstein. There are hundreds of people in photos with him.
A White House spokeswoman, Abigail Jackson, accused Democrats of once again releasing “selectively selected photos with arbitrary redactions” for false representation. The president had already said in the past: “I have nothing to do with this man.” Circles from the White House now also pointed out that there are no documents that have ever proven any wrongdoing by Trump.
The other people pictured initially did not comment on the recently published photos. A Clinton spokesman said years ago that Clinton had “never been to Little St. James Island, Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico, or his residence in Florida.” Clinton took four trips on Epstein’s plane in 2002 and 2003 – also in the context of the work of his foundation.
Epstein case first went to trial two decades ago
The New York financier Epstein was part of high society for many years and networked in influential circles. The US multimillionaire had run an abuse ring for years, which victimized dozens of young women and minors. He himself is also said to have abused women and girls in New York and Florida.
The case first ended up in court about 20 years ago. Epstein pleaded guilty to certain charges. Years later, the case was reopened and the multimillionaire was arrested again. Even before a possible further verdict could be made, Epstein died in his prison cell in 2019 at the age of 66. The autopsy report listed suicide as the cause of death.
Not the first publication from the US Congress
Just at the beginning of the month, US members of Congress published photos and videos that gave an insight into Epstein’s private island. The material showed the property and the interior of the villa on the island of Little Saint James in the Caribbean, where Epstein is said to have abused his victims.
The images now being distributed anticipate a deadline for the US government to publish investigation files. After much pressure on Trump to publish the files, the US President signed a law from the US Congress last month. This stipulates that the Ministry of Justice releases investigation files on the case by December 19th.
