An FBI video intended to shed light on the circumstances around Jeffrey Epstein's death is raising more questions than answers. Metadata uncovered by Wired shows that roughly three minutes of footage were trimmed from what the Department of Justice and FBI had described as "full raw" surveillance video from the only working camera near Epstein's cell on the night before his death in 2019. Wired's investigation found that the video, released as part of the Trump administration's pledge to fully probe Epstein's death, was assembled from two clips in Adobe Premiere Pro—a detail that contradicts official characterizations that it was unedited.
Analysis revealed that one source file was 2 minutes and 53 seconds longer than what appeared in the video the public saw, with the cut ending seconds before a one-minute gap that Attorney General Pam Bondi attributed to a nightly system reset. The second clip picks up at midnight, suggesting possible overlap, but it's unclear what, if anything, the missing minutes showed. Forensic video experts confirmed the edits, noting the footage was saved and re-saved several times over more than three hours on May 23 before being posted online. Wired reports that when it asked the DOJ to comment, a public affairs officer replied, "Refer you to the FBI," which declined to comment.
The footage, which came from an aging and often unreliable surveillance system, doesn't directly show Epstein's cell. Internal comment markers left in the files suggest analysts flagged moments of interest, but no details are provided. The video's release coincides with ongoing political friction: after months of speculation about hidden evidence, the FBI and the DOJ said earlier this month that no incriminating client list exists and maintained that Epstein died by suicide. This has sparked backlash and suggestions of a cover-up, including from Trump allies. On Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson urged Bondi to "put everything out there, let the people decide it."
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