Latest news with #MetropolitanCorrectionalCenter
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's DOJ Releases Epstein Prison Footage to Support Suicide Ruling
The Department of Justice has released footage showing what is believed to be the final moments of Jeffrey Epstein to try and dismiss claims that the billionaire pedophile was murdered inside his New York City prison cell. The federal agency published nearly 11 hours of CCTV footage from inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Epstein was detained awaiting federal child sex offenses before taking his own life in Aug. 2019, to dispute the relentless conspiracy theories. At one point, an inmate in an orange jumpsuit with silver hair—believed to be Epstein—is seen being escorted across the common area of the Special Housing Unit (SHU) by two guards toward his cell at 7:49 p.m. Epstein was then locked inside his cell around 10:40 p.m. and was found dead the next morning, the DOJ and FBI said in a memo obtained by Axios. While Epstein's cell door is off-camera, the DOJ and FBI said that if anyone had approached his cell or the SHU area during that time, they 'would have been captured' by the footage. The FBI noted in the memo that three separate findings—from the autopsy report of the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, a review by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and the DOJ's Inspector General—all concluded Epstein died by suicide in his cell. The memo also stressed that there's no evidence of the existence of an incriminating 'client list' featuring high-profile names linked to Epstein's offenses, nor that Epstein had 'blackmailed prominent individuals' with such dirt. This revelation has triggered outrage from MAGA and conservative figures who've been clamoring for federal agencies under the Trump administration to release all information on Epstein to expose the supposed truth about his death—and any potentially damning list of powerful associates. Two Trump loyalists who previously pushed claims that Epstein was murdered—Kash Patel and Dan Bongino—are now leading the FBI under Trump as director and deputy director, respectively. Both previously faced the wrath of MAGA figures after being forced to admit there's no evidence Epstein was murdered once they began actually working on the case. Conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein's death have swirled for years, fueled in part by the DOJ officials stating that security cameras located in and around Epstein's cell had malfunctioned in July 2019, therefor failing to capture the moments before his death the following month. New York prosecutors also admitted in Jan. 2020 that CCTV footage from outside Epstein's cell around the time of his previous failed suicide attempt in July 2019 had accidentally been deleted. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MAGA Demands Pam Bondi's Head for Falsely Hyping Epstein Client List
Furious MAGA influencers have turned on Attorney General Pam Bondi over a memo pouring cold water on conspiracy theories about alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The leaked memo from the Department of Justice (DOJ) found that Epstein kept no secret list of his clients and that his 2019 death in custody was almost certainly a suicide, Axios reported. 'This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list,'' the memo reads. 'There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.' The DOJ noted that 'after a thorough investigation, FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019.' The findings did not sit well with MAGA. 'Trump has to fire Pam Bondi,' Keith and Kevin Hodge, the two die-hard Trump supporters behind the Twins Pod podcast, told their more than three million X followers Monday. 'She went on camera and told the world she has the Epstein client list on her desk. Now they say there's no list???' Bondi indeed told Fox News in February that a long-rumored roster of high-profile public figures to whom Epstein had trafficked his victims was 'sitting on my desk right now to review.' Days later, she released a dossier on the case almost entirely composed of information that was already public—with no client list. After Trump's return to the White House in January, many of the president's supporters had hoped new details of the case would emerge to substantiate the rampant conspiracy theories that have surrounded Epstein's crimes for more than a decade. Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. As the fevered anticipation morphed into rabid backlash on Sunday, Trump's former government efficiency czar Elon Musk led the social media charge against the DOJ with a meme suggesting the department is staffed by clowns. Others blasted Bondi more directly. Far-right influencer Laura Loomer put out a series of posts dubbing the AG 'Blondie' and blasting her as a 'liar,' with ultraconservative commentator Jack Posobiec taking aim at the nation's top prosecutor for failing to deliver after 'we were promised everything.' 'If Jeffrey Epstein had no clients list, didn't have elites raping girls on his island and hadn't taken part in any blackmail schemes… Then… Why'd he kill himself?' right-wing filmmaker and Heritage Foundation Visiting Fellow Robby Starbuck posted. 'Doesn't pass the smell test [Pam Bondi].' Far-right podcaster Tim Pool also hopped on the bandwagon, posting 'Pam Bondi is just keeping the tens of thousands of child porn videos for herself,' while MAGA conspiracy theorist Matt Wallace asked of his followers, 'Should Trump fire Pam Bondi for lying about the Epstein files?' If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.
Gizmodo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Gizmodo
DOJ Releases Video of Jeffrey Epstein's Jail Cell, but There's a Minute Missing
The U.S. Department of Justice has released video from the jail in New York where Jeffrey Epstein was held, recorded the day he died in 2019. The release is part of a campaign by the Trump regime to convince skeptical Americans that the child sex offender really did kill himself. But the video is only creating more conspiracy theories because there appears to be about one minute missing. The video released by DOJ, from inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center, begins at 7:30 p.m. on August 9, 2019 and ends at 6:40 a.m. on August 10. Epstein was found dead in his cell on August 10 around 6:30 a.m. The missing minute from the video occurs on the night of August 9 where the tape seems to jump from 11:58:58 p.m. to 12:00:00 a.m. The full video released by DOJ is almost 11 hours long, but we've clipped the missing portion below. What's going on here? Gizmodo emailed the DOJ press office which acknowledged receipt of our email but didn't answer our questions. It's important to note that it doesn't appear Epstein's cell door is even visible in the video that was released. Epstein was escorted to his cell at 7:49 PM after meeting with his lawyers. And the video gives you a sense of where that cell is, out of sight from the view we have. Two cameras that were presumably closer and gave a better view of his cell door malfunctioned, according to a report from Reuters published Aug. 2019. We've clipped that portion below, which is purported to show Epstein being escorted to his cell in the distance around 7:49 p.m. Many people on social media have questioned why the doors in the video are different from the photos aired in 2019 by 60 Minutes that show police tape covering Epstein's cell. A door with a window is seen, whereas the visible doors in the video that was released by the DOJ don't feature any windows. It's also notable that DOJ released two versions of the video. The first is apparently untouched, though you can't make out Epstein in either. The second was altered slightly by the FBI. As the DOJ put it in a letter published online: 'During this review, the FBI enhanced the relevant footage by increasing its contrast, balancing the color, and improving its sharpness for greater clarity and viewability.' The two clips embedded above are from the unaltered video. The altered video is available on the DOJ website. People are understandably upset that it seems like folks at the DOJ aren't being transparent about what happened to Jeffrey Epstein, since high-profile figures like FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino were so insistent that any files be released. Now these men insist Epstein really did kill himself and MAGA-world can't seem to figure out why. 'This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list.' There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions,' the new statement from DOJ reads. 'We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.' Attorney General Pam Bondi was the one who recently said she had the Epstein client list sitting on her desk for review, a quote that Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked about during the White House press briefing on Monday. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, insisted that Bondi didn't actually say the thing we all heard her say. DOOCY: So what happened to the Epstein client list that the attorney general said she had on her desk? LEAVITT: I think if you go back and look at what the attorney general said DOOCY: I've got the quote. She said, it's sitting on my desk right now to review. [image or embed] — Acyn (@ July 7, 2025 at 10:51 AMGizmodo will update this article when we hear back from the DOJ. But given the controversy surrounding this one, we assume we're not going to get any kind of answer.
Al Jazeera
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Epstein had no ‘client list' and died by suicide: US Justice Department
A United States government review has found no evidence that sex offender Jeffrey Epstein kept a secret client list, and reaffirmed that he died by suicide in federal custody in 2019, undercutting years of conspiracy theories. The acknowledgement that Epstein did not maintain a list of clients who received underage girls marks a clear retreat from a narrative once promoted by members of US President Donald Trump's administration. Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi even claimed in a Fox News interview that such a document was 'sitting on my desk', awaiting her review. The memo, released on Monday by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI, stated that a 'systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list'.' It also found no credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent figures, or grounds to pursue investigations against uncharged third parties. 'After a thorough investigation, FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019,' the memo said. 'This conclusion is consistent with previous findings, including the August 19, 2019 autopsy findings of the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the November 2019 position of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York in connection with the investigation of federal correctional officers responsible for guarding Epstein, and the June 2023 conclusions of DOJ's Office of the Inspector General.' It concluded by saying that 'no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted'. The Justice Department also released 10 hours of surveillance footage from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. The footage revealed that no one entered Epstein's cell on the day he died by suicide. 'We were all told more was coming' Conservatives who have sought proof of a government cover-up of Epstein's activities quickly expressed outrage at the announcement. Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec posted: 'We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn't have to be.' Separately, former Trump ally, billionaire Elon Musk, shared an image of a scoreboard reading, 'The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter', which was set at zero. On June 5, Musk claimed that Trump appeared in the Epstein files and later posted a video on X showing Trump at a party with Epstein. These posts, now deleted, were part of an ongoing feud between Musk and Trump linked to Trump's new tax cuts and spending bill. What's the time? Oh look, it's no-one-has-been-arrested-o'clock again … — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 7, 2025 Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones wrote, 'Next the DOJ will say 'Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed',' calling the conclusion 'over the top sickening'. 'Epstein's crimes and death' On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Justice Department's 'exhaustive investigation'. When questioned about the client list mentioned in February's Fox News interview, Leavitt clarified that Bondi was actually referring to the broader collection of Epstein case files. Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019, weeks after his arrest on sex trafficking charges, in a suicide that foreclosed the possibility of a trial. The Justice Department and FBI's disclosure that Epstein took his own life is hardly a revelation, even though conspiracy theorists have continued to challenge that conclusion. In November 2019, for instance, then-Attorney General William Barr told the Associated Press news agency that he had reviewed security footage that revealed that no one entered the area where Epstein was housed on the night he died, and expressed confidence that Epstein's death was a suicide. However, Epstein's ties to the rich and famous have led many to believe, without evidence, that others were behind his death, in an effort to cover up their own crimes. If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, these organisations may be able to help.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DOJ, FBI find no evidence Epstein was murdered, kept ‘client list'
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has concluded that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself and did not keep a client list, the department determined in a memo released Monday alongside the FBI. The conclusion is in line with numerous prior evaluations after Epstein was found dead in his prison cell. Nonetheless, the conclusion comes after President Trump has tapped leaders for the FBI — including its deputy director, Dan Bongino — who have promoted conspiracy theories about his death. 'After a thorough investigation, FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019. This conclusion is consistent with previous findings,' the memo states. The FBI said it enhanced footage of the area where Epstein was housed and saw no one enter or leave the cell block. 'The conclusion that Epstein died by suicide is further supported by video footage from the common area of the Special Housing Unit (SHU) where Epstein was housed at the time of his death,' it states. '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. The FBI's independent review of this footage confirmed that from the time Epstein was locked in his cell at around 10:40 pm on August 9, 2019, until around 6:30 am the next morning, nobody entered any of the tiers in the SHU.' The memo also addressed accusations that Epstein, the financier who was facing sex trafficking charges, kept a client list he could use for blackmail. Amid a feud with Trump, Elon Musk said the president was on that list. Trump has denied having a close relationship with Epstein. 'This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list.' 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 memo states. FBI Director Kash Patel had previously called for releasing a list of Epstein's associates. The memo otherwise said it does not plan to release further information from the files so as to not release personal details about those affected by Epstein's actions. Bongino while on Fox News last month said after reviewing the files he did not believe Epstein was killed. 'He killed himself,' Bongino said. 'I've seen the whole file.' That's a different tune than Bongino struck in 2023. 'Listen, that Jeffrey Epstein story is a big deal, please do not let that story go. Keep your eye on this,' he said at the time. The release of the memo is the latest effort by Trump officials to address a case long of interest to many in MAGA circles. Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House officials earlier this year invited interested parties to review a binder full of records on the matter. But the move backfired, sparking criticism for revealing no new information about the case. The latest memo is also unlikely to satisfy MAGA allies focused on Epstein's death. Conservative commentator Bennie Johnson complained the footage did not show all the necessary details. 'The recently released Epstein security footage is missing a full minute,' he wrote on X. —Updated at 2:24 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
