Former President Bill Clinton is seen in a hot tub, a swimming pool and seated close to a young woman on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet, newly released documents show.
The Justice Department on Friday began uploading thousands of pages of documents related to their investigation and prosecution of Epstein under a law signed by President Trump last month compelling them to make the material public.
The documents uploaded to the Justice Department’s website include thousands of photos, among them snaps of Mr. Clinton relaxing in a hot tub, hands behind his head, with an unidentified person.
The former president, who admitted to palling around with Epstein but said he was not engaged in wrongdoing, is also pictured cozying up to a young woman on what is likely Epstein’s private jet. The young woman’s face is blocked out to protect her identity.
In another picture, the ex-president is in a swimming pool along with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence following a federal sex trafficking conviction.
Epstein’s close connections with the wealthy and influential are also on display in the photos. One picture shows pop stars Michael Jackson and Diana Ross along with Mr. Clinton.
PHOTOS: DOJ releases photos showing Clinton, celebrities in Epstein files
In another picture, rock star Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones, seated next to Mr. Clinton, looks to be enjoying himself at a dinner.
Even legendary news anchor Walter Cronkite turns up in a photo, seated on a couch and appearing deep in conversation with another man.
None of the men in the images is accused of wrongdoing. The photos illustrate Epstein’s array of powerful friends who came from Hollywood, the music world, politics and media.
A spokesman for Mr. Clinton said that putting the focus on the former president would be misplaced.
“The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton. This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be,” Clinton spokesman Angel Ureña said on social media.
Epstein, a billionaire investor, was a registered sex offender after his 2007 conviction of soliciting prostitution from a minor. He was arrested again more than 10 years later on federal charges related to operating sex trafficking involving dozens of girls.
SEE ALSO: ‘Too many redactions’: Lawmakers say Epstein file release does not meet their requirements
Epstein died by suicide in his New York City jail cell in August 2019.
The Justice Department’s dump of material includes footage from outside of his jail cell, much of which was released earlier this year to dispel conspiracy theories that Epstein was murdered to stop him from exposing a list of powerful clients who abused the girls whom he trafficked.
Many of the photos that turn up in the newly released files are interior shots of Epstein’s properties. One photo shows a safe, door removed, exposing a stash of documents in blue folders and CDs in plastic cases.
Another series of photos show a media or security room wall lined with flat-screen TV panels and wiring.
Federal prosecutors say Epstein lured girls, many from the local high schools, to his Palm Beach home under the guise of paying them for a massage. He then sexually assaulted them during the session.
Some of the victims said Epstein assaulted them with a vibrator. Among the photos released Friday is one of a box containing a vibrator.
Some of the pages released Friday are entirely redacted, which Justice Department officials said was necessary to protect Epstein’s many victims.
A list of Epstein’s “masseuses” for example, includes 254 names, all of them obscured.
The evidence includes messages for Epstein from girls who were scheduled to come to his house but couldn’t make it. One had a car accident, another had to postpone “because of soccer.”
The girls said they were paid by Epstein: $200 for a “massage,” for example, and $500 for “photographs.” He provided an apartment and additional support for some girls who were more permanent victims in his sex trafficking operation. Girls were also paid to recruit other victims, typically from the local schools.
Documents released Friday indicated the FBI’s Miami field office interviewed some of the victims and one girl, who was 14 at the time and had moved to Australia, said Epstein “had instructed her to have sex with numerous associates both in the United States and overseas,” and she identified several of the men by name.
The unidentified girl is likely Virginia Giuffre, who was one of the most outspoken victims of Epstein and who fled to Australia. She is seen in a now-infamous photo next to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the former prince, whom she said assaulted her.
Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year. She received an undisclosed settlement after suing Mr. Windsor. He lost his royal titles over the scandal and denies Giuffre’s claims.
The photo evidence from the Epstein files also showed VHS tapes, cassettes and CDs seized by authorities.
A copy of “Massage for Dummies,” was scanned into the evidence, along with a receipt for $213.96 from Adult Video Warehouse.
Not all of the Epstein material in the federal government’s possession has been released.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said additional files will be published in the coming weeks and that the department is working to protect the victims from unwanted exposure.
Democrats complained the delay would violate the law, which required all files to be released Friday.
“We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law,” said Oversight and Government Reform Committee ranking member Robert Garcia, California Democrat, and Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin, Maryland Democrat.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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