Epstein latest: More photos from disgraced financier's estate released

Some of the images released today don't show any people.

One shows a close up shot of a person's hand wearing a black rubber glove in front of several cushions.

Another shows various sex toys collected in a pile on the floor, with a third showing a close-up image of a tag attached to another sex toy.

Our data and forensics correspondent Tom Cheshire has analysed the significance of the latest picture release.

"They paint a picture: this is a man whose network, whose influence, was in the highest places," Cheshire says.

He also explains what to expect from the remaining 95,000 files from this latest release and the larger release due by next Friday.

Watch the full analysis in the video...

Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, says more photos from the Epstein estate will be released in the days and weeks ahead.

He told reporters that around 25,000 images had been examined out of the 95,000 photographs from the estate.

"So there's an enormous amount of photos that we have not gone through," he says.

"It'll take days and weeks to make sure we have those photos and redaction is done in the appropriate way.

"We will continue to put out more photos in the days and weeks ahead, but I caution folks at the redaction process, and ensuring we protect survivors and women abused by Epstein."

Democrat House leader Hakeem Jeffries says his party will continue to hold the Trump administration to account to release the full set of Epstein files.

"The so-called Department of Justice under the Trump administration needs to comply with the law," he said.

"These people who are part of the Trump administration, including Donald Trump and JD Vance himself, all said for years that they wanted to release the Epstein files. 

"Didn't they come into office and do the exact opposite, obstruct and obfuscate, hide stuff from the American people?"

"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. And we're going to make sure that the Department of Justice complies."
Hakeem Jeffries, House Democrat leader

We've gathered some information on one of the more striking images released by the Democrats today - Donald Trump-branded condoms.

With the words 'I'm HUUUUGE' printed on the packaging, the National Museum of American History describes the object as "political satire".

The text plays on his "pattern of speech and use of catch phrases", the museum says.

It says the front of the package also reads: "Say it with a condom."

One of the pictures in today's batch shows Donald Trump with Jeffrey Epstein and a blonde woman.

It's actually an image that's been public before.

The woman in the photo has been identified as Belgian model Ingrid Seynhaeve, US correspondent David Blevins reports.

Trump was friends with Jeffrey Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s.

But the president says he fell out with Epstein and has strongly denied wrongdoing regarding the financier's crimes.

It remains unclear, for now, who took the new pictures.

Many previously released images were taken by Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

She was his partner and was convicted of helping him sex-traffick minors.

She was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in June 2022. 

The latest release of pictures from the Epstein estate is "striking", says our US correspondent David Blevins.

Among those pictured are not only Donald Trump, but also Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Trump's former advisor Steve Bannon, he adds, noting that appearing in the picture doesn't equal wrongdoing (as we outline at 15:24).

But he also says: "These are not the Epstein files, so to speak, that we've been talking so much about in recent months."

The full archive of files collected by law enforcement includes over 300GB of data and physical evidence, Blevins says.

They are to be released by 19 December, as per legislation passed by Congress.

"The material that has dropped is literally a drop in the ocean," Blevins observes.

The Democrats can only gradually release files from legal proceedings as they get unsealed by the judiciary bit by bit, he explains.

Watch his full analysis here...

We've just been speaking to Joshua Schiffer, a former defence lawyer who represented a number of Jeffrey Epstein's accusers.

Asked by presenter Matt Barbet to give his reaction to the release of new photos, he says: "I'm not going to say I'm terribly surprised. 

"We know that there are more than 95,000 images. There's almost an unlimited number of images that could come out. And we knew that there were going to be releases."

He added: "We all know that Jeffrey Epstein had a social atom filled with some of the most important American and international business people. He paddled around with the high point of the upper crust."

Why haven't we had the full release?

Schiffer says today's release will only add to the growing chorus of voices in the US calling for the Trump administration to release the full set of Epstein files.

He says that even the president's own MAGA base is giving Trump "substantial pushback for betraying them on that very promise".

"He had been so forthcoming after fighting the release for so long, and there's definitely a sense of mixed reaction. 

"People want to know what's in the middle of this. If Donald Trump is, in fact, innocent of all of these allegations and insinuations, then he shouldn't have any problem freely really opening up these files. 

"And that's exactly the conclusion I think most Americans and world watchers have made. If you weren't hiding anything, why are you fighting so hard? Why are you creating so many barriers to the open release?"

It's the issue that's dogged Donald Trump's second presidency. 

Convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan cell in August 2019, shortly after he was arrested on sex trafficking charges.

Rumours have long circulated over his death, and speculation over whom he may have supplied underage girls to and who visited his private island is also rampant.

Some of those rumours quickly spiralled into conspiracy theories.

It all means that anyone with known links to Epstein may face questions over their relationship.

And at the heart of it all are the Epstein files.

What are the Epstein files?

In short, they are tens of thousands of pages of documents the US Department of Justice holds on the investigation into the sex offender.

He was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges when he was found dead in his cell aged 66.

The indictment alleged he sought out minors - some as young as 14 - from at least 2002 to 2005.

He was accused of paying them hundreds of dollars in cash for sexual acts at either his New York City townhouse or his estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

He was under investigation in Florida for allegations he preyed on a number of young victims in the mid-2000s.

Ultimately, he cut a deal to plead guilty to state charges involving just one minor. 

The justice department said this year he had 1,000 victims.

Haven't we seen files already?

Tens of thousands of pages of "Epstein files" have become public over the past 20 years, many originating from victims' lawsuits against Epstein and previous criminal investigations.

This release is expected to include all papers, including witness statements and other evidence, and could reveal who he spoke to and when - and what about.

To be clear, today's release does not include every document in the government's possession - they still have until next Friday to share the entire collection.

Today's cache has come via the Democrats - as did the last batch released earlier this month.

Watch: How did we get here?

A spokesperson for the Republican-led House Oversight Committee has taken aim at Democrats and Ranking Member Robert Garcia.

In a statement, the spokesperson accused them of "cherry-picking photos and making targeted redactions" to create a "false narrative" about Donald Trump.

"We received over 95,000 photos and Democrats released just a handful," the spokesperson said. 

"Democrats' hoax against President Trump has been completely debunked. 

"Nothing in the documents we've received shows any wrongdoing. It is shameful Rep. Garcia and Democrats continue to put politics above justice for the survivors."