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By Peter Aitken and Carlo Versano
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FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said on Fox News Thursday morning that he is certain Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, died by suicide while in federal custody — and there is video that supports it.
Why It Matters
Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender, socialized with some of the world's most powerful people. He died in jail in August 2019 while awaiting new sex trafficking charges.
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While his death was ruled a suicide, conspiracy theories persist that he was instead murdered due to his purported "client list," which many have speculated to contain the names of politicians including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and Britain's Prince Andrew.
Attorney General Pam Bondi previously said the FBI is reviewing "tens of thousands of videos" involving Epstein with children or involving child porn, with "hundreds of victims," urging patience as the agency works through the sheer volume of evidence.
An initial "Phase I" release of some Epstein files in March was met with criticism since most of the information was already public, putting increased pressure on further releases to provide new information.
What To Know
Bongino made the revelation during an interview Thursday morning while speaking with Fox & Friends, saying the video would prove definitively that Epstein was alone the night he died.
"There is nothing in the file at this point on the Epstein case — and there is going to be a disclosure on this coming shortly... there is video. That is something the public does not know," Bongino said.
Bongino clarified that the video in question does not show the "actual act" but proves that Epstein was the only person who came in or out of his cell on the night he died, on August 10, 2019.
"There's no one there but him," he said.
The Trump administration is under immense pressure to release the files and evidence after Trump, on the campaign trial, suggested that he would be open to releasing the Epstein "client list."
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Bondi, in February, said the agencies were moving slowly because they were prioritizing the protection of personal information for more than 250 victims connected to Epstein.
But earlier this month, one of those victims, Teresa Helm, urged the administration to release the relevant case files, telling Newsweek at the time that it "must be an imminent objective."
"The ongoing cover-up and extreme lack of transparency has been exhausted," Helm said. "The truth in full is what's deserved, for the survivors of Epstein's sex trafficking operation, and for the public."
What People Are Saying
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a May 10 post on X: "We are working with the DOJ on the Epstein case and, as the AG stated, there are voluminous amounts of downloaded child sexual abuse material that we are dealing with. There are also victim's statements that are entitled to specific protections. We need to do this correctly, but I do understand the public's desire to get the information out there."
What Happens Next
The FBI National Press Office told Newsweek it had nothing to add beyond the deputy director's public comments when reached by email for comment on Thursday, including any sense of a timeline for the release of the video.
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