DOJ releases memo on intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein recordsdata : NPR

[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 Information: 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 useless in his jail cell in 2019. Saul Loeb/AFP by way of Getty Photos cover caption

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Saul Loeb/AFP by way of Getty Photos The Justice Division and the FBI have discovered no proof that disgraced financier and convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein had a "shopper listing" or that he blackmailed distinguished associates.

The conclusions are included in a two-page memo outlining the "exhaustive evaluate" the division performed of the Epstein recordsdata 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 Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi about an alleged listing of Epstein purchasers. 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 loss of life 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 loss of life.

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 recordsdata 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 advised Fox Information in an interview that Epstein's shopper listing was "sitting on my desk proper now to evaluate."

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

"This systematic evaluate revealed no incriminating 'shopper listing.' There was additionally no credible proof discovered that Epstein blackmailed distinguished 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 lot of all of the paperwork, the entire paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes," Leavitt advised reporters. "That is what the legal professional basic was referring to, and I will let her converse for that."

Leavitt added that the legal professional basic and the FBI director pledged, at Trump's route, to conduct an exhaustive evaluate of the Epstein supplies "and that is what they did, they usually 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 recordsdata associated to Epstein—digital searches of databases, laborious drives, community drives and bodily searches of cupboards, desks and closets—to seek out any and all related supplies.

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

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

"Anybody getting into or trying to enter the tier the place Epstein's cell was positioned … would have been captured by this footage," the memo states. "The FBI's unbiased evaluate 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 following morning, no one 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 loss of life. Since taking high jobs on the bureau, although, they've publicly acknowledged 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 recordsdata. It says that combatting little one exploitation and offering justice to victims are high priorities, and that "perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of these ends."

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