The Justice Department and FBI have concluded there is no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein blackmailed powerful individuals, maintained a so-called “client list,” or was murdered, according to a memo outlining the investigation’s findings obtained by Axios.
The administration is releasing both raw and “enhanced” video footage that it says shows no one entered the area of the Manhattan prison where Jeffrey Epstein was held on the night of his death in 2019. The two-page memo states the footage supports the medical examiner’s conclusion that Epstein died by suicide.
The findings mark the first official rejection by the Trump administration of conspiracy theories surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s activities and death—narratives that had previously been promoted by the FBI’s top two officials before their appointments under Trump, Axios noted.
As social media influencers and prominent voices in MAGA circles, Kash Patel—now FBI Director—and Dan Bongino—now Deputy Director—were once among those who cast doubt on the official account of Jeffrey Epstein’s death. Both have since publicly stated they believe Epstein died by suicide. Still, it remains widely accepted in many right-wing online communities that Epstein’s crimes involved powerful elites in government, Hollywood, and business—and that he was murdered to protect them.
The official findings now also seem to contradict Attorney General Pam Bondi, who claimed earlier this year that she had the Epstein client list “on her desk.” But now, according to the memo seen by Axios, “no incriminating ‘client list’ ” of Epstein’s, “no credible evidence … that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals,” and no “evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
Republicans and conservatives lambasted the official findings after they were released. “THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR and a complete disappointment,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) posted then. “GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!”
Just last month, billionaire Elon Musk, as his fallout with the White House began, accused President Donald Trump of being “on the Epstein list.” And on Monday, Musk posted sarcastically about the new official findings, as did other critics.