House Democrats on the Oversight Committee on Wednesday released photos and videos from a private island in the Caribbean that Jeffrey Epstein once owned, shining new light on what was once the epicenter of the late convicted sex offender's decades of abuse of young girls and women. The images and videos show several bedrooms, bathrooms and what appears to resemble a dentist's chair in one room with masks on the wall, as well as a landline telephone with first names written on the speed dial buttons, including Darren, Rich, Mike, Patrick and Larry. Multiple videos capture the opulent grounds of a home resembling a luxury resort, featuring a swimming pool, palm trees and a winding path overlooking the ocean. One photo appears to capture a study featuring a blackboard: Scribbled on it are words like "power," "deception," "plots" and "political." A Democratic committee aide told CNN that the photos and videos released by the committee on Wednesday have previously never been made public, and were all taken from Little St. James Island in the US Virgin Islands. There are several redactions in the images of the phone and the blackboard – the aide said any women's names were redacted out of an abundance of caution. After releasing an initial 14 images and videos, Democrats on the panel later released another tranche showing more of the island estate. The disclosure comes on the heels of President Donald Trump signing into law a bill compelling the Justice Department to release the Epstein-related documents in its possession. The release of those so-called Epstein files is highly anticipated and could come in a matter of days. "These new images are a disturbing look into the world of Jeffrey Epstein and his island. We are releasing these photos and videos to ensure public transparency in our investigation and to help piece together the full picture of Epstein's horrific crimes," Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, said in a statement. The US Virgin Islands have long been of great interest for investigators probing Epstein's decades of abuse. Epstein privately owned Little St. James Island — sometimes nicknamed "Little St. Jeff's" — and Great St. James. Epstein frequented his homes there and invitations were often extended to many of his powerful and wealthy friends and acquaintances. These private islands allowed Epstein to carry out his sex-trafficking ring for years out of the public eye. Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's most prominent victims, wrote in her posthumous memoir, for example, that it was on one of the islands — when she was 18 – that Epstein "trafficked me to a man who raped me more savagely than anyone had before." "He repeatedly choked me until I lost consciousness and took pleasure in seeing me fear for my life. Horrifically, the Prime Minister laughed when he hurt me and got more aroused when I begged him to stop," she wrote of Epstein and an unidentified world leader. Both islands were purchased by billionaire investor Stephen Deckoff in 2023. Deckoff has not responded to CNN's requests for comment about the islands. Last month, the House Oversight Committee requested documents from US Virgin Islands Attorney General Gordon Rhea to further dig into Epstein's life on the two private islands where he allegedly leveraged his personal and business relationships to negotiate lucrative tax breaks and even pay off local law enforcement, according to the panel's letter. The committee wants to learn more about USVI's 2020 law enforcement action against Epstein and the subsequent settlements to the tune of millions of dollars. "The Committee believes that the documents related to Mr. Epstein, his estate, and the USVI litigation will aide its ongoing investigation into Mr. Epstein, Ms. Maxwell, and the federal government's investigation into both individuals," the committee's chairman, Republican Rep. James Comer, stated in his subpoena letter. The House Oversight Committee is currently looking to expand its probe into Epstein and is searching for new targets. In addition to requesting a tranche of documents from US Virgin Islands' attorney general, the panel has also received approximately 5,000 documents in response to its subpoenas to JP Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank for Epstein's financial records, a committee spokesperson told CNN. Republicans believe Epstein's finances will provide a new wealth of information. "The Majority is reviewing these materials and will make them public soon, just as the Committee has already done with the more than 65,000 pages produced during this investigation," the spokesperson told CNN. The spokesperson also criticized Democrats for releasing the small sampling of photos and videos Wednesday. "It is odd that Democrats are once again releasing selective information, as they have done before," the spokesperson added. The panel has so far released tens of thousands of documents, emails and communications that it received from the Epstein estate that continue to open new lines of investigative inquiry. Investigators also still want to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's accomplice. Her attorneys recently told the panel that Maxwell would assert her 5th Amendment rights and would refuse to answer questions, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The panel has also threatened contempt of Congress if Bill and Hillary Clinton do not comply with their subpoenas and quickly schedule their depositions. — CNN
