Bill Clinton among VIPs in new Epstein file photographs

Former President Bill Clinton is among the famous faces appearing in the trove of fresh images related to the Jeffrey Epstein case that were released Dec. 19 by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Trump administration is putting thousands of documents online under a deadline imposed by Congress, which bucked the Trump White House on Epstein amid an intense and bipartisan interest in his sex trafficking case.

It's long been known Clinton was friendly with Epstein, the wealth manager who died by suicide in jail in 2019 at the age of 66 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Clinton, a Democrat who served as president from 1993 until 2001, has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein's alleged criminal conduct.

In the files released Friday, the former president appears in several newly unveiled photographs under a section labeled "Epstein Files Transparency Act." In one set, Clinton appears with Ghislaine Maxwell − who is serving 20 years in federal prison for conspiring with Epstein − at the Winston Churchill War Rooms in London.

In other photographs, Clinton is depicted in a hot tub. In another, he poses with a woman whose face has been obscured. Neither the context or timing of the photos is explained in the documents the Justice Department released on Dec. 19.

Clinton sometimes flew aboard Epstein's private plane and has previously been listed repeatedly in Epstein documents.

Under the legislation signed into law by President Donald Trump, the files are supposed to be searchable so that the public can more readily access the massive trove that includes evidence recovered during searches of Epstein’s properties and other material from DOJ's criminal investigations.

But searches of what DOJ calls the “Epstein Library” show that even basic queries – such as for "Trump" or "Clinton" – come up blank.

DOJ spokesperson calls out Clinton

Gates McGavick, a DOJ spokesman, posted a Dec. 19 message on X with Clinton in the hot tub photo, which also shows an unidentified person with their face blacked out.

"Beloved Democrat President," McGavick said in the post. "The black box is added to protect a victim."

Asked if the other person was a victim or a minor whose identity was being protected, McGavick did not specify. Instead, he referred USA TODAY to the administration's redaction policy, which says in part the files' release will have redacted or withheld material that "contained personally identifiable information of victims."

Clinton's office responded saying the delay isn't about protecting the former president.

"This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they'll try and hide forever," Angel Ureña, a Clinton spokesman said in a statement.

Clinton's office told USA TODAY that Trump has "fired thousands of career officials" and replaced them with partisan actors such as McGavick, who it pointed out previously worked at the Republican National Committee.

"There are two types of people here," Ureña said. "There first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We're in the first."

New records show Epstein's VIP friends

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have for weeks been releasing records from Epstein's estate that mention other prominent figures, including billionaires Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, MAGA leader Steve Bannon, Prince Andrew and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Among those in the new batch of pictures are actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Chris Tucker, who appear in some of the same photos as Clinton. Other photographs show the former 42nd president seated next to Mick Jagger, lead singer for The Rolling Stones, and smiling with singers Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. None have been accused of any wrongdoing in the case.

The House committee also released photos from Epstein's estate earlier this year showing Trump and emails that include correspondence between Epstein and Lawrence Summers, a former Treasury secretary during the Clinton administration's second term.

Summers, who served as Harvard University president, stepped away from his public positions and teaching job at the Ivy League school as a result.

Both Clinton and Trump have said they distanced themselves from Epstein years before his death by suicide in a jail cell in 2019.

Republicans on the Oversight panel summoned Clinton, along with his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to appear for depositions related to their investigation.

In a Nov. 3 letter to Congress, David Kendall, an attorney for the Clintons, said while the public's demand for transparency about Epstein is "understandable and warranted," a deposition of his clients would be unnecessary.

"Former President Clinton and former Secretary Clinton welcome legitimate oversight in this matter that is grounded in fact," Kendall wrote. "In that regard, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary Hillary Clinton have little to contribute to that legitimate goal, all of which can be readily submitted on paper."

Trump on Nov. 14 also ordered federal investigations targeting Epstein's relationships with Clinton and Summers. The investigations, led by Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, are ongoing.

Contributing: Zachary Schermele, Josh Meyer