Featured Image Credit: US Department of Justice
Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, Crime, US News
Ben Williams
A newly surfaced video interview featuring Jeffrey Epstein has begun circulating after being released as part of a vast tranche of documents from the US Department of Justice, reigniting public attention on the disgraced financier years after his death.
The footage, which had not previously been aired in extended form, appears to show Epstein in a long, sit-down conversation with an off-camera interviewer.
The exchange ranges widely, touching on Epstein’s wealth, his views on ethics, and how he believed his actions should be judged in light of charitable donations he claimed to have made.
Throughout the clip, the convicted sex offender pushes back against the idea that his fortune should be considered morally tainted.
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When asked directly: "Is your money dirty money?" he responds: “No, it’s not.” Pressed further on why not, Epstein insists: “Because I earned it.”
He goes on to argue that ethics are ‘always a complicated subject,’ before referencing money he said was donated to help eradicate polio in Pakistan and India.
At one point, the interviewer challenges him with a hypothetical, asking how people living in extreme poverty would feel if they were told aid money had come from a convicted sex offender. Epstein replies: “I would say everyone said, ‘I want the money for my children.’”
The conversation takes a darker turn when Epstein is confronted about his criminal status. Asked bluntly: "What are you, a class three sexual predator?" he responds: “Tier one.”
When the interviewer asks if tier one is ‘the highest and worst,’ Epstein pushes back, saying: “No, I said I’m the lowest.” The interviewer then clarifies: "But a criminal." Epstein answers: “Yes.”
For context, a Tier 1 sex offender is defined: “If county prosecutors consider you to be at a relatively low risk of reoffending, it may place you in the Tier 1 category. This means law enforcement agencies receive notification of your sex offender status”, as shared by NJ Criminal Law Firms.
Later in the conversation, the questioning becomes more confrontational, with the interviewer invoking religious imagery to press Epstein on his moral character.
After suggesting that even if ‘the devil himself said, ‘I’m going to exchange some dollars for your child’s life,’ people might still accept the money, the interviewer asks directly: “Do you think you’re the devil himself?”
Epstein replies: “No, but I do have a good mirror.”
When the question is repeated, he adds: “I don’t know. Why would you say that?” Before eventually saying: “The devil scares me.”
The interview is one of several hours-long recordings among many newly released files that were never seen before.