In a significant move to increase transparency, Democrats on the US House oversight committee have published a new collection of photographs from the estate of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The release comes just ahead of a crucial legal deadline for the Department of Justice to disclose its extensive files related to the financier's case.
Undated Images and Literary References
The batch of images, made public on Thursday, 18 December 2025, is presented without dates, captions, or explanatory context. Among the most striking photographs are those showing passages from Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita inscribed on a woman's body.
One image displays the famous opening line, "Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth," written across a woman's chest. Other photos show the lines "She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning" on a foot, "She was Lola in slacks" on her body, and "she was Dolly at school" on her neck. A final image reveals the phrase "She was Dolores on the dotted line" written along a woman's spine.
High-Profile Figures Featured
The release also contains photographs featuring several prominent individuals. These include a picture of billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates posing with a woman whose face has been redacted. Another shows renowned linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky seated on a plane with Epstein.
It has been widely reported that both Gates and Chomsky had associations with Epstein. Gates has previously expressed regret, stating it was a "huge mistake" to have met with him. The new images further document these connections, though their presence in the photos is not evidence of any wrongdoing.
Additional photographs feature film director Woody Allen, former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, and New York Times columnist David Brooks. In a statement to the Guardian, a spokesperson for the newspaper clarified Brooks's appearance, noting he attended a 2011 dinner as a journalist to speak with business leaders and had no further contact with Epstein.
Documents and Impending Deadline
Beyond the personal photos, the release includes images of several foreign passports with redacted information, as well as Epstein's own US passport. A screenshot of a text message conversation from an unknown sender references an "18-year-old from Russia" and discusses payments, asking, "Maybe someone will be good for J?"
This disclosure arrives less than 48 hours before the 19 December deadline for the Justice Department to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. This congressional bill, signed into law last month, mandates the full release of the DOJ's Epstein-related files.
Following the release, Representative Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the oversight committee, stated, "Oversight Democrats will continue to release photographs and documents from the Epstein estate to provide transparency for the American people." He argued the images raise further questions about what the DOJ possesses and accused the White House of a cover-up, demanding the immediate release of all files.
