A few days ago the U.S. Department of Justice quietly leaked to Axios a one and a half page memorandum—unsigned, undated, unaddressed, and issued over the 4th of July holiday weekend—declaring that the Jeffrey Epstein case is closed: no client list exists, no credible evidence of blackmail could be found, and Epstein’s death was a suicide. The report did reveal for the first time that, in addition to having pornographic videos of some of his victims, “Epstein harmed over one thousand victims.” There were also thousands of child pornography videos that had been downloaded from the internet.
A few days later, members of the Trump Administration seemed determined to dismiss the case as old news. Even the President tried to deflect questions about the case at his Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, July 8th, making his hostility to discussing the matter very clear. (How can you claim transparency and then bully, berate, and mock people when they ask questions?)
The more officials try to minimize the case, the more it suggests something significant is being concealed. The fact is that a great deal is being concealed.
The short, unsigned memo not only conflicts with what current and past members of the Justice Department have said, but it is contradicted by a mountain range of evidence compiled by journalists, civil litigants, publicly available criminal records, and bank regulators.
The setup for the “old news” narrative seems to have started a few weeks ago when Dan Bongino, Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Kash Patel, Director of the FBI, were interviewed by Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo on May 10, 2025. In the interview, Bongino stated that Epstein committed suicide. He said he was confident of that conclusion because he “read the file.” Patel concurred with that assessment, saying that having spent many years as a federal defense attorney, he knew a suicide when he saw one. This is a complete reversal of what they previously had detailed in many interviews, articles, and books.
Why?
Supposedly, since becoming FBI officials, they had gained access to more relevant information than they previously had available to them. But neither of them explained what information it was that convinced them.
I don’t know whether Epstein killed himself or not. What I do know is that Bongino and Patel don’t know—can’t know—either. At best, the evidence is inconclusive.
Dr. Barbara Sampson, the New York City Chief Medical Examiner with 20 years of experience, concluded that the death was suicide by hanging. Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic consultant and former New York City Chief Medical Examiner with 50 years of experience, concluded that the death was a likely homicide by manual strangulation. Baden based his conclusion on several observations—a broken hyoid bone and cartilage fractures suggesting strangulation, neck trauma inconsistent with hanging, eye hemorrhaging common in strangulation but rare in hanging, and that there was no blood pooled in his legs, as you would expect if he had been hanging. While Sampson concurred with the physical observations, she disagreed with the conclusion.
One of the curiosities that I cannot explain is that Sampson said the evidence at the scene supported her conclusions. But there was no evidence from the scene.
There were no photographs taken before the body was cut down. The sheet was removed, and the knot in the sheet was untied. The scene was thoroughly contaminated, and multiple people handled all potential evidence. The crew who transported Epstein to the hospital while resuscitation attempts were being made even cut off his clothes and dressed him in a hospital gown. Whatever evidence there might have been from the scene was practically useless.
What evidence from the scene was she talking about?
The FBI had made a big deal about the video that showed nobody entering the tier where Epstein’s cell was located. That does not mean that someone could not have entered his cell, unseen. The video does not show Epstein’s cell door, nor does it show the cell doors in the tier. At least that’s how I am reading the death investigation conducted by the Office of Inspector General of the Bureau of Prisons. Look for yourself.
There are a couple of other curiosities as well. First, Bureau of Prisons staff allowed Epstein to make an unmonitored call on 8/9/2019. He said the call was to his mom, but it was to his girlfriend, reportedly Karyna Shuliak. Second, although he was supposed to have a cellmate, none was assigned. Third, extra sheets in Epstein’s cell were not removed, a clear violation of safety protocols. Of course, there were a host of other safety and security violations—falsified records, guards that didn’t make rounds because they were sleeping or playing games, multiple cameras malfunctioning and not repaired.
Did the DOJ interview Epstein’s girlfriend? What did she say?
Les Wexner-Ohio billionaire
Here’s a timeline of Epstein’s last three days. Leslie Wexner—billionaire owner of L Brands and a former client of Epstein—released a letter on Aug 7th (dated August 8, 2019) saying that Epstein had misappropriated millions from him during the time Epstein had power of attorney over all of his assets and that he was a financial victim of Epstein. That same day, it was reported in the New York Times. On August 8th, Epstein changed his will. On August 9th, he called his girlfriend, and on August 10th, Epstein was dead.
One of the red flags that pointed toward suicide was Epstein changing his will. This was significant. It’s significant, too, that if it were murder, it would have required a conspiracy involving multiple government agents. Anyone who’s worked in the government knows this is a stretch.
Still, neither of these facts leads me to a conclusion either way.
Like I said earlier, it is possible he committed suicide, but it’s also possible he was murdered. And it’s possible that he was threatened in a way that forced him to commit suicide.
I don’t see the suicide/murder issue resolved by any evidence or any explanation that has been given. While I like Bongino and Patel, while I believe they are honorable men with the best interests of our country at heart, their justification for closing the case falls short of convincing.
Contrary to the position of Bongino and Patel, because of the conflicting interpretations of the autopsy findings, the manner of death should be considered Undetermined.
Ultimately, whether he committed suicide or not, it does not make any difference. The real issue of the Epstein case is the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children.
At least the Justice Department has acknowledged Epstein had more than one thousand victims, not to mention the thousands of child pornography videos and images he produced as well as downloaded from the internet.
But the scope of the exploitation and the intensity of the investigation have not been described in detail. What did the government do? Who did they interview?
Where are the memos that lay all this out? Didn’t they say they were going to release all the files?
Let’s start with what the pathetic Justice Department memo says. I already addressed the assertion that Epstein’s death was a suicide.
Then there is the claim that there is no client list. That’s not surprising. I can’t recall any investigation I conducted or directed where the bad guys conveniently listed all of their customers and criminal associates. We had to dig for that information by interviewing witnesses and suspects and by reviewing correspondence, phone records, bank records, and so on. We built the list of suspects. Compiling the list was ongoing through the course of the investigation.
Didn’t the federal investigators do that? If not, why not?
The memorandum also states that there is no evidence of any blackmail operation. This is not at all credible. Reportedly, Epstein’s properties had multiple secret cameras in the rooms, including the bedrooms. What were they for?
Additionally, in 2017, Epstein allegedly made a veiled threat to Bill Gates that he would expose Gates’ previous extramarital relationship with bridge player Mila Antonova unless Gates donated $100 million to a foundation managed by Epstein and/or repaid Antonova’s school tuition that Epstein paid.
Multiple accusers also allegedly testified to “blackmail binders” containing photos, possibly compromising photos, of powerful visitors to Epstein’s various properties. Reportedly, these records remain sealed at the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York.
Then there are the proven financial transactions in support of sex trafficking. In November 2023, JPMorgan Chase settled a class action lawsuit by Epstein victims for $290 million. The suit alleged that the bank enabled and financially supported his sex trafficking operation. JPMorgan had flagged $1 billion of Epstein-related transactions as indicative of human trafficking but did not report it until after Epstein’s death. The transactions occurred between 2003 and 2019.
I cannot imagine any investigator would think that one billion dollars, which was identified as trafficking related, could have been considered trafficking for personal use. It would be akin to having two semitruck loads of heroin in your barn and claiming it was just for personal use.
Where are the investigative files and reports on these financial transactions and the interview reports of the recipients of the money?
There is also a massive trove of evidence that is unaccounted for.
Every one of Epstein’s properties was searched. Warrants were issued, items were seized and catalogued. Where is the list for each property, including his apartment in Paris, his houses in New York and Palm Springs, his ranch in New Mexico, and his compound in the Virgin Islands? Where are the memos that describe the evidentiary value of each item and have the analysis of the items? Where are the memos that describe the contents of the “thousands of videos?”
Where are the memos of all the victims who were interviewed, all of Epstein’s staff over the years, all of the people who appear on the flight logs and address books? Epstein’s pilot was with him for about 20 years. Where is his interview? What did he see? Where are the details of Ghislaine Maxwell’s long-time relationship with Epstein? She’s the only one who has been convicted of anything since Epstein was arrested in 2019. Did they try to get her cooperation? What did she say? Again, didn’t they promise to release all of the files?
Leon Black-NY billionaire
What about Epstein’s connection to Harvard University? Between 1998 and 2015, Harvard University received at least $18.6 million from Epstein and from associates that Epstein convinced to donate, including from billionaire Leon Black.
Harvard gave Epstein an office in 2003 after he donated $6.5 million to start a research center for the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics (PED), headed by Martin Nowak.
Epstein’s office was located at One Brattle Square, and he had a key card and passcode that allowed him 24-hour access. In addition to a furnished office that he used for meetings with academics and political figures, he also had access to and used the larger University meeting rooms.
Even after Epstein was convicted of solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of a minor for prostitution in Florida, Epstein maintained the office. Harvard did not take away the office until 2018 after several complaints by Harvard staff.
Epstein apparently had a personal interest in the research being done at PED. He planned to conduct eugenics experiments of his own at Zorro Ranch, his remote ranch in New Mexico. Epstein wanted to speed up evolution by selective human breeding. He saw himself as one of the select breeders.
Where are the investigative reports on Epstein’s connections to Harvard and his bizarre Island of Dr. Moreau-like plans for his Zorro Ranch? It’s also interesting that the managers of that ranch, Brice and Karen Gordon, vanished after Epstein died. To date, they have not been found. Are the feds trying?
There were several dimensions to Epstein’s operations.
His businesses focused on providing financial advice services to only the wealthiest clients. Reportedly, he was gifted in mathematics and finance and was very knowledgeable of global tax laws. He was also skilled at tracking down money that had been embezzled or stolen. And he knew how to hide it.
A key to his financial success was his ability to leverage his existing contacts to expand his social network. He was very adept at that.
Epstein developed relationships with all kinds of people, with billionaires like Leon Black, Bill Gates, Leslie Wexner, Mort Zuckerman, Glenn Dubin, and others.
Epstein also maintained relationships with some of the most powerful political leaders in the world.
Bill Clinton was one of them. In fact, during Clinton’s two terms, Epstein appears on the White House visitor logs 17 times. Clinton was also known to have flown on Epstein’s plane between 9 and 50 times, depending on various sources.
Donald Trump also had a relationship with Epstein, but their relationship ended in 2004 as a result of a falling out. Apparently, Epstein had attempted to recruit girls at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. When Trump found out about it, he revoked Epstein’s membership and banned him from the property. About the same time, they were also in competition for some property in Palm Beach. Trump won the bid, which made Epstein angry.
(In an interesting side story, Bradley Edwards, the attorney who represented many of Epstein’s victims, said that Trump was the only person who voluntarily cooperated with his investigation: “The only thing I can say about President Trump is that he is the only person who in 2009, when I served a lot of subpoenas on a lot of people, or at least gave notice to some pretty connected people that I wanted to talk to them, he is the only person who picked up the phone and said ‘lets just talk, I’ll give you as much time as you want, I’ll tell you what you need to know.'” Edwards added that Trump “was very helpful in the information he gave, and gave no indication whatsoever that he was involved in anything untoward.”)
Prince Andrew, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Ted Kennedy, Bill Richardson, and others also had a relationship with Epstein. Prince Andrew was the only one named by an Epstein victim, Virginia Giuffre, as a person who abused her.
The European elites, including the nobility, welcomed him. In addition to Prince Andrew, there were Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Prince Ernst of Hanover, and “more than 40 members of royalty and European nobility” who are referenced in Epstein’s book of contacts. He also maintained ties to Hollywood glitterati, like Kevin Spacey, Woody Allen, Charlie Rose, Michael Jackson, Harvey Weinstein, Alec Baldwin, and many more.
Where are the DOJ memos that explain the relationships of all these people with Epstein?
Epstein also had some very nefarious connections with men like Adnan Khashoggi, an arms trafficker who used corrupt banks like the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), also known as the Bank of Crooks and Criminals International, and the Nugan Hand Bank to launder money and facilitate selling weaponry. One example of Khashoggi’s activities is the Iran-Contra Affair. Khashoggi was the Iran–Contra Affair’s primary financial and logistical middleman. He provided the money, arranged the deals, and managed the payments that allowed arms to be secretly shipped from Israel to Iran, helping the Reagan Administration circumvent U.S. law and international embargoes. He worked closely with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Khashoggi financed the operation through BCCI, a bank that was also regularly used by the CIA for covert operations. Another activity that BCCI did was facilitate prostitution to gain leverage against selected people.
Khashoggi reportedly was a client of Epstein’s.
Where are the DOJ’s memos that describe this relationship? Khashoggi died in 2017, so he isn’t around to answer any questions anymore. But he was still alive in 2008 when Epstein was prosecuted in Florida.
Another criminal connection of Epstein’s was Steven Hoffenberg, former CEO of Towers Financial Corporation. Hoffenberg served 18 years in prison for ripping off investors of hundreds of millions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme operated by Towers. Epstein worked as a paid consultant for Towers, reportedly for $25,000 per month in the late 80s and early 90s, and was described as a top strategist for the company. Hoffenberg died in 2022. Supposedly, he had offered to cooperate in the investigation of Epstein’s criminal activities and connections.
Why don’t we have a complete explanation of this relationship and Epstein’s possible involvement in the Towers Ponzi scheme? Hoffenberg is yet another potential witness against Epstein and possibly those who were involved with Epstein, who is dead or missing.
One of the most important of Epstein’s criminal connections was Jean-Luc Brunel. Brunel owned a modeling agency, with Epstein as a silent partner, and he procured many young girls from around the world for Epstein. The DOJ admits to having identified more than a thousand victims. Many of them had to have been supplied by Brunel. We’ll never know from him, though. He hanged himself in a Paris prison in 2022 while awaiting trial.
Did our DOJ investigate the suicide? What do they know about Brunel and his victims? Did they track down and interview any of the girls Brunel supplied to Epstein? To others? Who are they? Where are the memos of their interviews? What did they say? Is it possible there are victims they don’t know about? Some were flown from overseas to the United States. Where did they fly into? Did they go through Customs? How did they describe the purpose of their visit? How did they explain why a 12 or 13 or 14-year-old girl is coming to the U.S. without her parents?
I don’t see any of these answers in that 1 ½ page memo.
What is abundantly clear is that Epstein was involved in sex trafficking, that he was blackmailing people, that he used videos obtained at his various properties for that purpose, that he used his networks of connections also to develop compromising information, that at least some of his financial transactions were criminal, and that in general he was an all around disgusting person who our government has protected for years.
The question is, why did our government turn a blind eye to Epstein’s activities for so long, and why are they now trying to claim there is nothing to see?
I’ll answer these questions in my next article, Part 2.
In the meantime, consider this. It is not just our government that turns a blind eye to this kind of corruption. The reason it happens in government is that we set the standard in our own lives.
“Not to act is to act. Not to speak is to speak.”
(Attributed to Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
