Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide and there's no ‘client list,' Justice Department says
The admission would renege on promises from 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.
The Justice Department does not plan to release any new documents in the matter.
Axios was first to report details of the DOJ 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 labeled '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.'
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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