THE NEW YORK TIMES: Democrats release images of Epstein’s private home

House Democrats on Wednesday, local time, released photographs and videos of disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein’s home on the private Caribbean island where his accusers have said he trafficked underage girls for sex.

Epstein, who was also accused of shuttling dozens of girls between his homes in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida, owned two private islands in the US Virgin Islands, both off the coast of St Thomas. One of the islands, Little St James, was where Epstein lived for the better part of two decades and was at the centre of allegations that it had been a place where he sexually abused teenage girls.

The release of the cache of more than 100 photos and four videos of Epstein’s secluded home appeared to be the latest bid by Democrats to intensify pressure on the Justice Department to make public all of its investigative files on the convicted sex offender’s case following enactment last month of a law requiring it.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.

Calling the images “disturbing,” Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said the release was part of a commitment to “ensure public transparency in our investigation and to help piece together the full picture of Epstein’s horrific crimes.”

Mr Garcia also said that the panel had received Epstein’s financial records from JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank, and that Democrats planned to release some of those files in the coming days.

Republicans on the Oversight Committee accused Democrats of releasing only documents that suited their agenda and said they planned to make more material public soon. “It is odd that Democrats are once again releasing selective information, as they have done before,” a committee spokesperson said.

Democrats chose the images they released Wednesday from a larger set of material given to the Oversight Committee by law enforcement authorities in the US Virgin Islands. They were taken in 2020, the year after Epstein died in prison while in custody on federal sex-trafficking charges.

After initially demanding the Justice Department turn over its records, the committee expanded its inquiry to include a host of documents from Epstein’s estate and financial records from banks.

Taken together, they offer a glimpse at Epstein’s life on secluded islands that he used as a personal hideaway and where his accusers have said he brought girls as young as 11. Epstein’s island residence has been at the centre of conspiracy theories that followed his death.

The images appear to reveal little new information about Epstein or his case. Still photographs show plainly decorated bedrooms or outdoor areas in Epstein’s home, and the videos are walk-throughs of the property or aerial views captured by drone.

In one photo that Democrats said was taken in Epstein’s residence, a room whose walls are adorned with at least 10 masks of men’s faces appears to have been turned into a dental office, with a chair and associated equipment. Epstein’s last girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, was a dentist who shared an office on St Thomas with Epstein’s shell company.

Another photo shows a room apparently being used as a library, with four armchairs and a chalkboard where a number of words were scribbled. Some of the language on the board was redacted by Democrats, but words that appear include “truth,” “music,” “deception” and “power,” next to which are written “fin,” “phy,” “intellectual” and “political.”

The images’ release comes two weeks after President Donald Trump, facing pressure from Democrats and Republicans, signed legislation calling on the Justice Department to release all of its files on Epstein within 30 days.

But the legislation contains significant exceptions, including a provision that protects the department from releasing files tied to continuing investigations, which could mean many documents would stay confidential.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House and Senate on Wednesday sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi asking for a briefing this week to discuss the Justice Department’s material and any “procedural hurdles” that could delay its release.

The material that Democrats released Wednesday came out of a separate investigative effort by the Republican-led Oversight Committee, which began an inquiry into Epstein and the handling of his case after Democrats forced a subpoena on the issue.

That inquiry led to the release in September of a sexually suggestive drawing and a note that appeared to bear Mr Trump’s signature, a page from a book that was created for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Mr Trump has insisted he did not create the drawing.

The Epstein estate also produced three email conversations that Democrats released last month that suggested Epstein believed Mr Trump may have been more aware of his abuse than the president has acknowledged.

After Epstein died by suicide in 2019, the attorney general of the Virgin Islands filed a lawsuit against his estate accusing him of bringing girls as young as 11 to Little St James and keeping a database to track the availability and movements of women and girls.

In a settlement, the Epstein estate agreed to pay at least $US105 million ($160m) to the Virgin Islands, plus a portion of the proceeds of the sale of Epstein’s islands. Both islands were sold in 2023 for $US60 million to an investor who said he planned to build a 25-room resort on them.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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