‘Epstein client list' doesn't exist, feds say, despite Musk's claim that Trump is on it
The convicted pedophile died by suicide in a New York City jail cell in August 2019, the new two-page memo confirmed, after conspiracy theories swirled about his death for years.
'This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list,'' the memo read. 'There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.'
The agencies also released hours of surveillance footage from the Manhattan prison where Epstein spent his final days in the hope of definitively establishing that no one else was involved in his death.
'The conclusion that Epstein died by suicide is further supported by video footage from the common area of the Special Housing Unit where Epstein was housed at the time of his death,' the memo, first reported by Axios, said. 'As DOJ's Inspector General explained in 2023, anyone entering or attempting to enter the tier where Epstein's cell was located from the SHU common area would have been captured by this footage.'
Epstein has long been the subject of conspiracy theories that he kept a secret list of wealthy and well-known public figures to whom he trafficked underage girls for sex. There has also been long-standing speculation that he was assassinated under the orders of someone powerful to stop him from revealing details of their crimes.
Before they were brought into the Trump administration, FBI director Kash Patel and deputy director Dan Bongino were some of the strongest voices in MAGA world questioning how the disgraced financier died.
Last month, during a bitter war of words with the president on social media, former ally Musk alleged that the reason there had been no update in the Epstein investigation was because Trump's name was mentioned in the files.
'Time to drop the really big bomb,' Musk posted on X. '@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!'
He followed up shortly after: 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.'
Trump denied being on the list and later shared a statement from former Epstein lawyer David Schoen that said the president wasn't implicated. 'I can say authoritatively, unequivocally, and definitively, that [Epstein] had no information to hurt President Trump,' said Schoen, who also represented Trump in his first impeachment trial.
This weekend, Trump reignited his feud with the world's richest man, saying Musk had gone 'off the rails', to which Musk responded by posting a meme of a digital display set to zero to serve as 'The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter.'
jo@samaritans.org
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