❓WHAT HAPPENED: Metadata from surveillance footage of the facility where Jeffrey Epstein died shows nearly three minutes were trimmed, contradicting claims that the video was “full raw” and raising fresh doubts about the official narrative.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), WIRED, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and President Donald J. Trump
📍WHEN & WHERE: New York and Washington, D.C., July 2025
💬KEY QUOTE: “Refer you to the FBI.” – Natalie Baldassarre, DOJ Public Affairs Officer
🎯IMPACT: The edited footage, released amid rising demands for accountability, has reignited skepticism around Jeffrey Epstein’s death, and intensified calls for full disclosure in the Epstein investigation.
Newly revealed metadata shows that almost three minutes were removed from surveillance footage the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had described as “full raw” from outside pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell before he was found dead. Though the Trump administration released the video to demonstrate transparency, the findings have instead raised renewed concerns about potential omissions in critical evidence.
Forensic experts verified that the supposedly “raw” video was edited in Adobe Premiere Pro from two separate files. The first clip was shortened by nearly three minutes, ending precisely at 11:58:58 pm—just ahead of a known one-minute camera lapse attributed by officials to an automatic system reset. The second clip resumes at 12:00:00 am and continues through early morning. While DOJ officials maintain there was no tampering, the specific timing of the edit has drawn scrutiny.
A WIRED investigation confirmed that the video was saved and exported multiple times on May 23, 2025, between 4:48 PM and 8:16 PM. The footage includes internal markers used by analysts to flag notable moments, though the public version omits their descriptions. These flags correspond to movement near Epstein’s cell block at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
A 2023 DOJ Inspector General report found that surveillance at the time of Epstein’s death was limited to two functioning cameras, both tied to outdated and unreliable systems. One captured common areas and stairwells near Epstein’s tier, but not the cell itself. Visibility of the stairway was also obstructed, and neither camera filmed directly inside the cell or at its door.
WIRED’s findings cast doubt on DOJ transparency under Attorney General Pam Bondi, and public pressure continues to mount for a complete and unaltered release of all surveillance evidence.
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