(Jewish Voice News)  A newly released tranche of photographs from the estate of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein has reignited a fierce political and media battle in Washington, placing President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and a long list of powerful figures back into the spotlight just days before a court-mandated Justice Department deadline, as CNBC reported.

House Democrats say they obtained roughly 95,000 images from Epstein’s estate and have so far made 19 photos public, depicting Epstein socializing with prominent names including Trump, Clinton, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, filmmaker Woody Allen, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, former British royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon. According to CNBC, the images were turned over to Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee late last week.

Democrats argue the release underscores the need for full transparency and are pressing the Department of Justice to publish all remaining Epstein-related investigative files by the December 19 deadline mandated under the recently passed Epstein Files Transparency Act, CNBC reported. Republicans, meanwhile, accuse Democrats of cherry-picking images to fuel a political narrative while obscuring context.

Several of the newly released images feature Trump in social settings with Epstein. In one photo, Trump is shown standing among six women wearing Hawaiian leis, their faces redacted by the committee. In another, Trump appears standing behind Epstein at what looks like a party, while a third shows Trump seated next to an unidentified woman on what appears to be a plane, according to CNBC. The dates, locations, and circumstances surrounding the photos were not disclosed.

Trump, who was friendly with Epstein in the 1990s before a public falling-out in the early 2000s, has denied any wrongdoing and rejected the significance of the images. “Everybody knew this man,” Trump said Friday evening when asked about the photos, as CNBC reported. “He was all over Palm Beach… almost there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him.”

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson accused House Democrats of selectively releasing “cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative,” telling CNBC that the administration has “done more for Epstein’s victims than Democrats ever have” by calling for transparency and releasing documents.

Photos involving Clinton have also drawn renewed attention. One image shows Clinton standing with Epstein, his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and two unidentified individuals, bearing what appears to be Clinton’s signature. Clinton has long acknowledged limited contact with Epstein, and a spokesperson reiterated that the former president had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, as CNBC reported.

Beyond the political clash, one particular image has triggered intense speculation online. As Daily Mail reported, a photograph showing Epstein seated at his Manhattan townhouse desk opposite Steve Bannon includes a framed image that appears to depict a person lying down, with the face obscured by a black box. While the contents of the image cannot be definitively determined, social media users have labeled it “disturbing” and “vile,” fueling lurid commentary.

The desk photo also appears to show two additional framed pictures with identities concealed, one possibly depicting a young person leaning on Epstein’s shoulder, according to Daily Mail. Democrats say the redactions are meant to protect victims’ identities, but critics argue the selective release invites speculation without providing clarity.

Bannon had a professional relationship with Epstein in 2018 and 2019, offering media advice as Epstein sought to rehabilitate his image after earlier convictions, Daily Mail reported. The outlet noted that it contacted Bannon for comment regarding the images.

Other photos released by Democrats show a range of unsettling and incongruous items, including sex toys, a bowl of novelty condoms featuring Trump’s caricature, and Epstein posing with celebrities and billionaires in social and private-jet settings, according to Daily Mail. Democrats insist the images raise serious questions about Epstein’s access to the world’s elite.

“These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world,” Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the ranking Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said in a statement cited by both CNBC and Daily Mail. “We will not rest until the American people get the truth.”

Republicans on the committee sharply disagreed. In a statement cited by CNBC, GOP members accused Democrats of pursuing headlines rather than justice, saying nothing in the released material demonstrates criminal conduct. “Democrats’ hoax against President Trump has been completely debunked,” the statement read.

The timing of the release is no accident. As CNBC reported, the photos emerged just days before the Justice Department is legally required to release a far broader set of Epstein and Maxwell investigative materials, including grand jury records, correspondence, and evidence collected during federal probes. Those DOJ files are separate from the estate photos and are expected to provide far more substantive insight.

Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 and died in a Manhattan jail cell the following month in what was ruled a suicide. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of procuring underage girls for Epstein and is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence. Victims’ advocates argue transparency is long overdue, while lawmakers on both sides accuse each other of exploiting the case.

As Daily Mail reported, pressure has intensified on the Trump administration amid accusations that it has moved too slowly in releasing Epstein-related material, despite Trump campaigning on a promise to make the files public. The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law last month, effectively overrode long-standing grand jury secrecy rules.

For now, two streams of disclosures are unfolding simultaneously: congressional releases from Epstein’s estate and DOJ disclosures mandated by law. Whether either will deliver the definitive answers demanded by the public remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the Epstein case—years after his death—continues to entangle America’s most powerful figures in controversy, suspicion, and a bitter partisan fight, as CNBC reported and Daily Mail reported.