Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide and there's no ‘client list,' US Justice Department says
The Department of Justice (DOJ) also does not plan to release any new documents in the matter, it said on Monday (Tuesday AEST).
The admission reneges on promises from US President Donald Trump, who previously spoke about releasing more governmental files on the disgraced financier, as well as go against years of conspiracy theories pushed by the right wing.
'This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list,'' the unsigned memo states.
'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.'
Axios was first to report details of the justice department and FBI's decision.
The department has also released 10 hours of jailhouse security footage that shows no one entered Epstein's jail cell on the day he died by suicide.
Right-wing media figures have, for years, suggested that the government is hiding secrets relating to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Some of those individuals breathlessly pushed the theory that Epstein kept a 'client list' as blackmail against powerful figures who he helped commit similar crimes.
After being confirmed as attorney general earlier this year, Pam Bondi quickly embraced those theories, saying in a February interview on Fox News that a client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review'.
She continued, 'that's been a directive by President Trump. I'm reviewing that.'
Soon after, in conjunction with the White House, the Justice Department released a series of documents related to the Epstein investigation – almost all of which were already available in the public domain.
The administration even invited influencers to get a 'scoop' on the documents at the White House, and photos from the day show those influencers walking out of the White House with white binders labelled 'The Epstein Files: Phase 1'.
Bondi promised more information would be coming, and FBI agents – many of whom were assigned to work on national security matters – were ordered to work around the clock in a frantic effort to review documents and other evidence for public release.
But soon the department stopped mentioning the release, much to the chagrin of supporters who inundated the DOJ and FBI's social media with demands for new information.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, both of whom publicly questioned the investigation before being tapped for their roles, even started mentioning in interviews that there was no evidence Epstein was murdered.
Bongino in May said the jailhouse video, now posted online, is 'clear as day'.
'Consistent with prior disclosures, this review confirmed that Epstein harmed over one thousand victims,' Monday's memo states.
'Each suffered unique trauma. Sensitive information relating to these victims is intertwined throughout the materials.
'This includes specific details such as victim names and likenesses, physical descriptions, places of birth, associates, and employment history.'
'One of our highest priorities is combatting child exploitation and bringing justice to victims. Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends,' it adds.
'To that end, while we have labored to provide the public with maximum information regarding Epstein and ensured examination of any evidence in the government's possession, it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.'
Musk reacts
Reports of the announcement were immediately met with outrage online, most notably from Trump's erstwhile ally Elon Musk, who posted an image of a zeroed-out scoreboard with the title The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter.
'What's the time? Oh look, it's no-one-has-been-arrested-o'clock again,' Musk wrote in the post on X.
Six weeks ago, Musk claimed on X that '@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,' later posting a video of Trump at a party with Epstein with a raised eyebrow emoji.
The since-deleted posts were a part of one of Trump and Musk's feuds regarding Trump's recent tax and domestic policy bill.
Other right-wing figures blasted the announcement too. One such activist, Jack Posobiec, wrote on X, referring to Epstein's associate convicted of charges related to Epstein's sex-trafficking, 'If there were no clients, why is Ghislaine Maxwell still in jail?'
Another, Robby Starbuck, said of Bondi's previous comments on a client list: 'Was she lying then or is she lying now? We deserve answers.'
White House stands by investigation
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday stood by the Justice Department's 'exhaustive investigation' of 'all the files related to Epstein's crimes and death'.
Pressed on the client list referred to in February's Fox News interview, Leavitt said during a White House press briefing that Bondi was referring to the 'entirety of all of the paperwork' related to Epstein.
'All of the paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein crimes. That's what the attorney general was referring to,' Leavitt said.
'And I'll let her speak for that. But again, when it comes to the FBI and the Department of Justice, they are more than committed to ensuring that bad people are put behind bars.'
DOJ spokesperson Chad Gilmartin also told CNN on Monday that in the Fox News interview, Bondi was referring to all of the paperwork related to the Epstein investigation, such as flight logs, and not to a specific client list.
Leavitt said some material was not released because it was 'incredibly graphic and it contained child pornography.'
'This administration wants anyone who has ever committed a crime to be held accountable … and the Trump administration is committed to truth and to transparency,' Leavitt said.
'They committed to an exhaustive investigation,' Leavitt continued, referring to the Justice Department. 'That's what they did, and they provided the results of that. That's transparency.'
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In February, conservative influencers were invited to the White House and provided with binders marked "The Epstein Files: Phase 1" and "Declassified" that contained documents that had largely already been in the public the first release fell flat, Bondi said officials were poring over a "truckload" of previously withheld evidence she said had been handed over by the FBI. But after a months-long review of evidence in the government's possession, the Justice Department determined in the memo Monday that no "further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted," the memo says. The department noted that much of the material was placed under seal by a court to protect victims and "only a fraction" of it "would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial." The Trump administration had hoped that that statement would be the final word on the saga, with Trump chiding a reporter who asked Bondi about the Epstein case at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. On Friday, far-right activist Laura Loomer, who is close to Trump, posted on X that she was told Bongino was "seriously thinking about resigning" and had taken the day off to contemplate his future. Bongino is normally an active presence on social media but has been silent since Wednesday. The FBI did not respond to a request seeking comment and the White House sought in a statement to minimise any tensions. "President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims," said spokesman Harrison Fields. "This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity. Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all." 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The move, which included the acknowledgement that one particular sought-after document never existed in the first place, sparked a contentious conversation between Attorney-General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino at the White House earlier this week — threatening to shatter relations between the two law enforcement leaders. It centred in part on a news story by a conservative outlet that described divisions between the FBI and the Justice Department. The cascade of disappointment and disbelief arising from the refusal to disclose additional, much-hyped records from the Epstein investigation lays bare the struggles of FBI and Justice Department leaders to resolve the conspiracy theories and amped-up expectations that they themselves had stoked with claims of a cover-up and hidden evidence. 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