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THE US JUSTICE Department and the FBI have said Jeffrey Epstein was not murdered, did not blackmail prominent figures and did not keep a “client list”.
The conclusions came after an “exhaustive review” of the evidence amassed against Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking, the agencies said in a joint memorandum.
Six years later, questions continue to swirl around Epstein’s life and death and the multi-millionaire hedge fund manager’s connections to wealthy and powerful people.
The memo, first reported by Axios, squarely rejected one of the leading conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein – that he did not commit suicide but was murdered while being held in jail.
“After a thorough investigation, FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell,” the memo said.
Video footage from the area where he was being held did not show anyone entering or attempting to enter his cell from the time at night when he was locked in till when his body was found the next morning, it said.
Extensive digital and physical searches turned up a large volume of images and videos of Epstein’s victims, many of them underage girls, the memo said.
“This review confirmed that Epstein harmed over one thousand victims,” it said, but did not reveal any illegal wrongdoing by “third-parties.”
“This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” the memo said. “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.”
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 7, 2025
Trump’s FBI director Kash Patel and deputy director Dan Bongino had been among the most prominent peddlers of conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein.
But they recently U-turned on those ideas in a joint interview and said Epstein did die by suicide, which angered many on the conspiracy-theory-driven members of the MAGA movement.
In May, Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi released what she called the “first phase” of files detailing “Epstein’s extensive network”.
That collection of documents, copies of which were given to right-wing influencers in a publicised stunt at the White House, ended up containing no significant information that had not already been in the public domain.
Supporters on the conspiratorial end of Trump’s base allege that Epstein’s associates had their roles in his crimes covered up by government officials and others.
They point the finger at Democrats and Hollywood celebrities, although not at Trump, who himself had a close relationship with Epstein.
Elon Musk, a former member of Trump’s cabinet, accused the president on X last month of being in the “Epstein files” after the pair had a falling out over the government’s recently passed spending bill.
He later deleted his posts.
Last week, Musk said he was founding a new political party in the US, which Trump described as “ridiculous”.
Today, however, Musk posted a meme making fun of the Trump administration’s inconsistent messaging about Epstein.
Trump was named in a trove of depositions and statements linked to Epstein that were unsealed by a New York judge in early 2024, but the president has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Epstein’s former assistant, Ghislaine Maxwell, is the only former associate of his who has been criminally charged in connection with his activities.
Maxwell, the daughter of British media baron Robert Maxwell, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in New York in 2021 of child sex trafficking and other crimes.
Among those with connections to Epstein was Britain’s Prince Andrew, who settled a US civil case in February 2022 brought by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed he sexually assaulted her when she was 17.
Giuffre, who accused Epstein of using her as a sex slave, died by suicide at her home in Australia in April.
With reporting from © AFP 2025
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