A new batch of photographs from the estate of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, released by US House Democrats on Thursday (December 18), shows high-profile figures and elites. The images, including those of billionaire Bill Gates and filmmaker Woody Allen, are undated and lack context.
They are part of about 95,000 images that the US Congress obtained from Epstein’s estate and has been releasing to the public in trickles. The latest pictures have further increased pressure on Donald Trump’s administration to release the broader Epstein files before the December 19 deadline.
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Let’s take a closer look.
Bill Gates, Noam Chomsky & more
Several high-profile and powerful men feature in the photographs from the estate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that were published by the minority Democrats in the House Oversight Committee.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is seen posing with a woman whose face has been blurred.
Renowned linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky is pictured aboard a private plane with paedophile financier Epstein.
There have been reports that Gates and Chomsky knew Epstein. Gates previously said he made a “huge mistake” in meeting with the disgraced financier.
He told CNN that the two had “several dinners” about a philanthropy project, which did not materialise and their relationship ended.
Steve Bannon, Trump’s former adviser, is captured sitting at a desk across from Epstein. David Brooks, the author and New York Times (NYT) opinion columnist, appeared in multiple photos.
The images show him attending a lunch or dinner event. Brooks is shown seated next to Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google.
The New York Times said in a statement that the event took place in 2011, three years after Epstein had pleaded guilty in Florida to charges of solicitation of prostitution with a minor.
The NYT said that Brooks did not have any further contact with Epstein.
“As a journalist, David Brooks regularly attends events to speak with noted and important business leaders to inform his columns, which is exactly what happened at this 2011 event,” an NYT spokeswoman was quoted as saying by The Guardian. “Mr Brooks had no contact with him before or after this single attendance at a widely-attended dinner.”
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The timing of the release is crucial. Last month, Brooks published a column in the NYT expressing disinterest in the Epstein scandal. He has also denounced public fascination with the case.
The
Epstein estate photos released last week also showed United States President Donald Trump and former president Bill Clinton, film director Woody Allen, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, attorney Alan Dershowitz, former British prince Andrew Mountbatton-Windsor, and others.
It has to be noted that appearing in these pictures does not necessarily indicate evidence of any wrongdoing.
What else do the latest pictures show?
The images released by the House Oversight Committee also show what appear to be quotes from Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita written on different parts of a woman’s body.
A copy of the book, which is about a man’s sexual obsession with a child, can be seen in the background of one of the photographs.
One image shows lines written on a woman’s chest, saying: “Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth.”
Another photo depicts text written on a woman’s foot: “She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock.”
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADThe images show quotes from Vladimir Nabokov’s novel ‘Lolita’ written on different parts of a woman’s body. Image Courtesy: House Oversight Democrats
Other images show the words “She was Lola in slacks” written on a woman’s body, and the passage “She was Dolly at school” on a woman’s neck. Another photo shows the line “She was Dolores on the dotted line” scrawled on a woman’s spine.
The batch also shows pictures of several foreign passports, with the information redacted, along with Epstein’s US passport.
They are photos of female passports and identification documents from various countries, such as Lithuania, Russia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine.
NEW: Oversight Dems are releasing additional photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate to the public.
We will continue releasing photographs and documents to provide transparency for the American people. It’s time for the Department of Justice to release the files. pic.twitter.com/ZGAvxVLCUq
— Oversight Dems (@OversightDems) December 18, 2025
There is also a screenshot of text messages from an unknown sender referring to an 18-year-old from Russia. The sender says, “I have a friend scout she sent me some girls today”, adding, “But she asks 1000$ per girl”. The following messages read: “I will send u girls now”, and “Maybe someone will be good for J?”.
Another photo shows Epstein sitting at a desk and surrounded by three female figures whose faces have been redacted. One person’s hand is on Epstein’s chest under his shirt, while the other is crouching to look at a nearby laptop. Epstein seems to be helping the third person put on a bracelet.
A picture of an inmate request form, dated December 25, 2008, from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is also among the published 68 photos from the Epstein estate.
The form features a name and date of birth, both of which have been redacted. The section titled “State the reason for submitting this request” shows a collection of handwritten words. This includes references to Paris and Dubai and the words “I love you”.
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There is also an image of a person holding a prescription bottle of the medication Phenazopyridine, a pain reliever used to treat discomfort caused by infection or irritation of the urinary tract.
A picture of two bows is also in the latest batch.
The latest release also shows what appears to be a site plan for Great St James island in the US Virgin Islands, as per BBC.
Epstein bought the Great St James in 2016 for $22.5m. These photos signal that he had plans to develop the 161-acre island by building multiple homes, offices and a pool.
Pillsbury Sound, a waterway in the US Virgin Islands, is marked on the bottom right of the drawing.
Red pen markings have been used on the site plan and a notes section is used to label different parts of the property.
There are also what seem to be nine other site and construction drawings, including plans for dock shelters.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADPressure on US govt to release Epstein files
Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee did not provide context for the photos. However, they described the latest images as “passports of women whom Jeffrey Epstein and his conspirators were engaging, photos of rich and powerful men in Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit, and concerning text messages about recruiting women for Jeffrey Epstein”.
“Oversight Democrats redact images and personally identifiable information from victims and survivors, and of young women when it is unknown whether they are a victim of Epstein’s abuse.”
“Photos were selected to provide the public with transparency into a representative sample of the photos received from the estate, and to provide insights into Epstein’s network and his extremely disturbing activities,” the statement issued by the Democrats after the release said.
It added that the committee has thousands of images in its possession from the Epstein estate, “both graphic and mundane”.
Top Democrat on the committee, Robert Garcia, said “these new images raise more questions about what exactly the Department of Justice [DoJ] has in its possession.”
“We must end this White House cover-up, and the DoJ must release the Epstein files now,” he said.
The “Epstein files” are used to refer to the information held by the Justice Department from two criminal investigations into the disgraced financier.
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Republicans, who are in the majority on the committee, have earlier accused Democrats of “cherry-picking photos and making targeted redactions to create a false narrative about President Trump”.
With the latest batch, the pressure on the DoJ has increased to release the files on time and before the looming deadline.
The calls for releasing the Epstein files are coming from both sides of the political spectrum, with prominent
Maga figures also backing the demand.
The Justice Department has so far maintained silence on whether it will meet Friday’s deadline, set by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed last month with bipartisan support.
The law requires the DOJ to publish the Epstein-related materials while safeguarding victims’ identities.
With inputs from agencies
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