DOJ says no evidence Jeffrey Epstein had a 'client list' or blackmailed associates

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5760x3840+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8b%2Fe3%2Fa935ce714a17ac1c3c6108e4beee%2Fgettyimages-2201631006.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5760x3840+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8b%2Fe3%2Fa935ce714a17ac1c3c6108e4beee%2Fgettyimages-2201631006.jpg" class="img" alt="Unidentified people carrying binders bearing the seal of the US Justice Department reading "The Epstein Files: Phase 1" walk out of the West Wing of the White House in February. The Trump administration had promised it would release documents on late tycoon and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein who was found dead in his prison cell in 2019." fetchpriority="high"/> Unidentified individuals carrying binders bearing the seal of the US Justice Division studying "The Epstein Recordsdata: Section 1" stroll out of the West Wing of the White Home in February. The Trump administration had promised it could launch paperwork on late tycoon and convicted intercourse trafficker Jeffrey Epstein who was discovered lifeless in his jail cell in 2019. Saul Loeb/AFP through Getty Photos disguise caption

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Saul Loeb/AFP through Getty Photos The Justice Division and the FBI have discovered no proof that disgraced financier and convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein had a "consumer record" or that he blackmailed outstanding associates.

The conclusions are included in a two-page memo outlining the "exhaustive assessment" the division performed of the Epstein information in its possession. The memo additionally states that after a "thorough investigation," the FBI discovered that Epstein died by suicide, which aligns with earlier division conclusions.

The findings contradict previous statements from Legal professional Common Pam Bondi about an alleged record of Epstein shoppers. And it is unclear if the memo will tamp down on the continued public skepticism about Epstein's case, significantly his suicide.

Epstein died at a federal lockup in New York Metropolis in August 2019 whereas awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking expenses. His dying has fueled quite a few conspiracy theories, significantly on the far proper, due to his ties to the rich and highly effective and the continued hypothesis surrounding his dying.

Axios was the primary to report on the memo.

Bondi has lengthy promised to launch paperwork from the Epstein investigation. She made public a small batch of information in February, and mentioned the transfer was a part of the administration's "dedication to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators."

That very same month, she informed Fox Information in an interview that Epstein's consumer record was "sitting on my desk proper now to assessment."

Greater than 4 months later, the division memo straight contradicts her.

"This systematic assessment revealed no incriminating 'consumer record.' There was additionally no credible proof discovered that Epstein blackmailed outstanding people as a part of his actions," the memo says. "We didn't uncover proof that might predicate an investigation towards uncharged third events."

Requested Monday about Bondi's earlier remarks, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to minimize the discrepancy.

"She was saying the whole thing of all of the paperwork, the entire paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes," Leavitt informed reporters. "That is what the legal professional basic was referring to, and I am going to let her communicate for that."

Leavitt added that the legal professional basic and the FBI director pledged, at Trump's course, to conduct an exhaustive assessment of the Epstein supplies "and that is what they did, and so they supplied the outcomes of that. That is transparency."

Suicide consistent with prior findings, medical proof The unsigned memo says the FBI and the division went by way of its investigative information associated to Epstein—digital searches of databases, exhausting drives, community drives and bodily searches of cupboards, desks and closets—to search out any and all related supplies.

Epstein's died by suicide on Aug. 10, 2019 on the Metropolitan Correctional Middle in New York Metropolis, in response to the memo. It notes that the conclusions is per earlier findings, together with these of the town's chief medial examiner, the U.S. Legal professional's Workplace in Manhattan and the DOJ's inspector basic.

It says the conclusion his dying was by suicide can also be supported by video footage from the frequent space of the jail unit the place Epstein was being held when he died.

"Anybody coming into or making an attempt to enter the tier the place Epstein's cell was situated … would have been captured by this footage," the memo states. "The FBI's unbiased assessment of this footage confirmed that from the time Epstein was locked in his cell at round 10:40 pm on Aug 9, 2019, till round 6:30 am the subsequent morning, no person entered any of the tiers."

FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have beforehand raised questions concerning the official account of Epstein and his dying. Since taking prime jobs on the bureau, although, they've publicly said that Epstein killed himself.

Each males confronted backlash on-line from conspiracy theorists.

The memo states that there are greater than 1,000 victims of Epstein's abuse, and that delicate info on these people is contained within the investigative information. It says that combatting little one exploitation and offering justice to victims are prime priorities, and that "perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of these ends."

"To that finish, whereas we've labored to offer the general public with most info concerning Epstein and ensured examination of any proof within the authorities's possession, it's the willpower of the Division of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no additional disclosure could be acceptable or warranted," the memo says.