CBS News reported on Tuesday that there were discrepancies in the video the Department of Justice (DOJ) released of deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s last night in jail, where he died in August 2019.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino asserted on “Fox & Friends” in May that the “clear as day” footage would confirm that Epstein committed suicide inside his jail cell amid persistent speculation that he was actually murdered. However, CBS News’ analysis of the video released July 7 found that it does not offer an unobstructed perspective of the entrance to Epstein’s cell block, reporting that that was one of multiple discrepancies between officials’ characterizations of the footage and the actual footage. (RELATED: ‘He Is A Child’: Dan Bongino Unloads On James Comey For Forcing FBI To Waste Resources On Copycat ‘8647’ Threats)
WATCH:
“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 [Special Housing Unit] common area would have been captured by this footage,” the FBI memo concerning the video states.
CBS News reported the footage does not seem to back the inspector general’s explanation, even within its initial ten minutes.
When Epstein shows up in the video, there is footage of him walking in the direction of the stairway heading to his cell, according to the outlet. However, because the stairway is barely in view in the footage, he cannot be seen walking up.
It is impossible to discern from the footage whether Epstein entered his cell or departed the SHU, according to CBS News. It is also impossible to discern whether an individual came in the SHU through the main entrance or used the stairway without appearing on camera.
CBS News reported this seems to conflict with the FBI and the inspector general’s claim and suggests there was a chance of undetected activity.
Video forensics expert Jim Stafford evaluated the video and the inspector general’s report, telling CBS News, “To say that there’s no way that someone could get to that — the stair up to his room — without being seen is false.”
Four additional prominent video forensics told CBS News they agreed with Stafford.
Moreover, the footage shows an orange shape ascending the stairway to Epstein’s tier around 10:40 p.m. The inspector general’s report found that the shape was a corrections officer.
However, video forensic experts told CBS News they were not convinced of the report’s finding and indicated it might have actually been an individual donning a prisoner outfit.
“Based on the limited video, it’s more likely it’s a person in an [orange] uniform,” retired New York Police Department sergeant and forensic video expert Conor McCourt told the outlet.
The digital clock in the footage the DOJ released skipped from 11:58:58 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. When the video feed comes back, its aspect ratio is slightly different, CBS News reported.
Experts told CBS News this suggested the video was edited or reprocessed rather than untouched.
“[T]here was a minute that was off the counter and what we learned from Bureau of Prisons is that every night, they redo that video, it’s old. It’s from like 199,” Attorney General Pam Bondi told a reporter on July 8. “So every night, the video is reset and every night should have the same minute missing, so we’re looking for that video to release that as well showing that a minute is missing every night.”
However, a government source familiar with the probe told CBS News that Bondi was wrong. Another high-level government source familiar with the probe told the outlet that the FBI, the Bureau of Prisons and the DOJ’s Office of Inspector General have complete, unedited copies of the footage without a missing minute.
“We can confirm Attorney General Bondi’s statement,” the Bureau of Prisons told CBS News.
Wired also reported on July 11 that the outlet and independent video forensics experts analyzed metadata within the footage and found that it suggested a significant chance it was edited, potentially with Adobe Premiere Pro. The video seems to stem from two or more source clips, according to the outlet.
Prison guards discovered Epstein dead with a noose around his neck inside his cell on Aug. 10, 2019. Before his death, he was under psychological evaluation after attempting suicide on July 23, 2019, according to a CNN timeline of Epstein’s death.
Despite being under careful evaluation the two correctional officers did not perform the mandated 12:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. counts and submitted a form falsely saying that they did. The DOJ charged them in November 2019 with one count of “conspiring to defraud the U.S.” by “impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful functions of the MCC” and for falsifying records, but the charges were subsequently dropped.
Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist Epstein’s brother hired, told “Fox & Friends” in October 2019 that the autopsy found his death was more consistent with homicidal strangulation than suicidal hanging.
Recorded evidence was only available from a single camera because of a malfunction at the prison, causing recordings to be made for just about half of the cameras, according to the inspector general’s report. Personnel became aware of the failure on Aug. 8, 2019, but did not fix the cameras until after Epstein’s death.
The DOJ and FBI did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
