Forensic experts confirm three minutes cut from prison footage the night of Epstein's death amid Trump controversy
Forensic experts analyzing footage from near Jeffrey Epstein's prison cell have reported that nearly three minutes have been cut from the full recording.
The discovery comes after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI released the footage along with a statement in which it concluded Epstein died by suicide, following speculation he may have been murdered.
In its statement, the DOJ said: "The conclusion that Epstein died by suicide is further supported by video footage from the common area of the Special Housing Unit (SHU) where Epstein was housed at the time of his death.
"As DOJ’s Inspector General explained in 2023, anyone entering or attempting to enter the tier where Epstein’s cell was located from the SHU common area would have been captured by this footage.
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"The FBI’s independent review of this footage confirmed that from the time Epstein was locked in his cell at around 10:40 pm on August 9, 2019, until around 6:30 am the next morning, nobody entered any of the tiers in the SHU."
The DOJ assured the 'full raw and enhanced videos' were available for viewing, however reports by Wired have found that not only was the footage stitched together using separate clips, but also that one of the source clips was approximately two minutes and 53 seconds longer than what is shown in the 'full' footage from the DOJ.
Analysis conducted by independent video forensics experts found that the file released by the DOJ was put together using at least two clips, and that it was saved multiple times before being exported.
The saves took place over a period of more than three and a half hours, on May 23, 2025.
Previous analysis of the clip has drawn attention to a one-minute gap between 11:58:58 pm and 12:00:00 am, which attorney general Pam Bondi attributed to a system reset that happens each night, so it's possible the three-minute gap is related to this jump.
Citing metadata from the videos, Wired reports that the first video file, from August 9, 2019, continued for several minutes beyond what appears in the video released to the public.
However, the fact the second clip picks up at midnight indicates an overlap, so it doesn't necessarily mean that there is time unaccounted for.
Speculation surrounding the clips, together with the DOJ's announcement that it had found 'no incriminating 'client list'', sparked questions after members of Donald Trump's administration had previously expressed their certainty in the existence of more details about Epstein.
Trump has since accused his supporters of turning against him, writing in a post on Truth Social: "Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bulls**t’ hook, line, and sinker.
“They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years.
“Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore! Thank you for your attention to this matter."
UNILAD has contacted the FBI and DOJ for comment.
Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Crime, US News
Emily Brown