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Committee

The Congressional oversight panel has released a batch of approximately 70 photographs from the estate of late adjudicated sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

This represents the third release from a tranche of in excess of 95,000 photos the panel has acquired from Epstein's holdings. It features images of passages from the book Lolita inscribed across a female's body, and censored photos of female overseas passports.

This disclosure comes just hours before the 19th of December due date for the DOJ to release every documents connected to its inquiry into Epstein.

"These photographs raise additional queries about exactly what the Department of Justice has in its holdings," stated the Democratic lead of the committee, Robert Garcia.

Contents in the Photographs Made Public

A number of the images released on Thursday depict Epstein speaking with professor and activist Noam Chomsky on a private plane; Bill Gates seen next to a woman whose identity is censored; Steve Bannon positioned at a table across from Epstein, and previous Alphabet president Sergey Brin at a evening meal.

Oversight Panel

These are the latest wealthy, powerful men to be seen in Epstein's estate images disclosed by the committee - earlier published pictures also show US President Donald Trump and ex-president Bill Clinton, as well as director Woody Allen, previous US treasury secretary Larry Summers, attorney Alan Dershowitz, Andrew Mountbatton-Windsor, and others.

Appearing in the photographs is does not constitute proof of any illegal activity, and many of the featured men have stated they were not involved in Epstein's illegal activity.

In a press release released with the image release, Lawmakers on the US House Oversight Committee noted the Epstein estate's representatives did not provide background information or timeframes for the pictures.

"Images were selected to furnish the public with transparency into a illustrative selection of the photographs acquired from the holdings, and to offer insights into Epstein's network and his extremely disturbing actions," the statement reads.

Oversight Panel

The disclosure also features several photographs of quotes from the Vladimir Nabokov novel Lolita inscribed in black ink across various areas of a female's body, such as her torso, lower extremity, pelvis, and spine. Lolita narrates the tale of a minor who was manipulated by a adult literature professor.

A particular passage from the book inscribed across a female's upper body states, "Lolita's name: the tip of the tongue making a journey of three steps down the roof of the mouth to tap, at three, on the teeth".

There are also a series of photographs of women's passports and ID papers from nations worldwide, such as Lithuania, Russia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine.

Investigative Body

A large portion of the details on the IDs, including names and birth dates, is censored but the committee said in a statement that the passports belong to "women whom Jeffrey Epstein and his associates were interacting with".

Another photo features Epstein positioned at a table intimately surrounded by three individuals whose identities have been obscured - one individual has her hand on Epstein's chest under his garment, and another individual is bending to view a close-by computer. Epstein seems to be aiding the third individual fasten a wristband.

Investigative Body

Another photo made public is a capture of SMS messages from an unknown sender who states they have been sent "several females" and are asking for "$1000 per girl".

Image Release Arrives Before DOJ Cut-off

The body has many thousands of photographs in its custody from the Epstein holdings, which are "both explicit and mundane," its press release on Thursday clarified.

The House Oversight Committee first subpoenaed the estate of Epstein, who was found dead in a New York correctional facility in 2019 while awaiting trial on accusations of human trafficking, in August.

The photos and documents the Epstein property submitted to the committee are separate from what is largely referred to "Epstein-related records". That material are records within the DOJ's control related to its independent probe into Epstein.

Pursuant to the Transparency Act, which Donald Trump signed into law in November, the DOJ has a deadline of 19 December to disclose its documents. The scope of what's found in the DOJ's records is unclear, and it's probable that a significant portion of the material will be significantly redacted, akin to Congressional materials