The FBI recently decided that there was and is no “Jeffrey Epstein client list” and the long-running investigation into Epstein’s trafficking operation should be closed. Donald Trump is obviously all over the Epstein files and everyone knew that Trump is a serial sexual predator and adjudicated rapist, but millions of Americans voted for him. So here we are – the FBI clearly ending an investigation into a notorious monster because that monster had equally evil friends, one of whom is now president. As part of the closing of the Epstein file, the Department of Justice decided to be super-slick – they released eleven hours of what they claimed was “raw surveillance footage” from just outside Epstein’s New York prison cell in 2019. The hours of footage were supposedly from just before Epstein’s body was found in the cell. Well, it turns out that the footage is not in any way “raw.” It has been manipulated and modified in really obvious ways. From Wired:
The US Department of Justice this week released nearly 11 hours of what it described as “full raw” surveillance footage from a camera positioned near Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell the night before he was found dead. The release was intended to address conspiracy theories about Epstein’s apparent suicide in federal custody. But instead of putting those suspicions to rest, it may fuel them further.
Metadata embedded in the video and analyzed by WIRED and independent video forensics experts shows that rather than being a direct export from the prison’s surveillance system, the footage was modified, likely using the professional editing tool Adobe Premiere Pro. The file appears to have been assembled from at least two source clips, saved multiple times, exported, and then uploaded to the DOJ’s website, where it was presented as “raw” footage.
Experts caution that it’s unclear what exactly was changed, and that the metadata does not prove deceptive manipulation. The video may have simply been processed for public release using available software, with no modifications beyond stitching together two clips. But the absence of a clear explanation for the processing of the file using professional editing software complicates the Justice Department’s narrative. In a case already clouded by suspicion, the ambiguity surrounding how the file was processed is likely to provide fresh fodder for conspiracy theories.
For months leading up to the joint memo the DOJ and FBI published Monday, attorney general Pam Bondi had promised the release of records related to Epstein, raising expectations that new, potentially incriminating details might surface about the disgraced financier’s death and his ties to powerful individuals. However, rather than revealing new information, the memo largely confirmed conclusions reached years earlier: that Epstein was found in a Manhattan prison cell on August 10, 2019, and died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
To support its conclusion, the FBI reviewed surveillance footage overlooking the common area of the Special Housing Unit (SHU) at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC), where Epstein was held. The FBI enhanced the footage by adjusting contrast, color, and sharpness, and released both the enhanced and what it described as the “raw” version. Both versions of the video appear to have been processed using Premiere and include much of the same metadata.
Wired goes on to explain the methodology of their investigation into the “raw footage,” which saw them go to two video forensic experts for analysis. Both experts agreed that the footage was highly questionable and the metadata showed that it had been saved, processed and edited in Premiere. They also found that the video is “a composite assembled from at least two separate MP4 files.” Their experts pointed out that this video would be easily thrown out of court – it raises significant questions about chain of custody, not to mention authenticity. One of the dumbest parts of all of this? The “raw footage” video changes aspect ratios mid-video.
All of this reminded me of the many stories we got in the weeks and months immediately following Epstein’s mysterious in-custody death. Even back then, in the summer of 2019, we knew that there were many suspicious irregularities around Epstein’s death, and the autopsy revealed MULTIPLE breaks in his neck bones.
Apparently, MAGAland is handling all of this Epstein stuff poorly, and there’s “fallout” within the Trump administration. There was some kind of tense meeting between AG Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. I don’t have any desire to delve into the politics of it – it’s clear that Trump appointed people who are actively covering up all of his crimes at every level. The rest is just bread and circuses for the MAGA morons.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Backgrid.