The director of the new documentary on US First Lady Melania Trump has appeared embracing a young woman in images released by the US Department of Justice on Friday.

Brett Ratner, who also directed the Rush Hour films and X-Men: The Last Stand, can be seen sitting on a sofa beside the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and two women whose identities have been obscured.

When the images were taken remains unclear, though they appear to have been taken in the same location as photos of Ratner and Epstein alongside the late French modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel that were released in December.