TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claim to have found no evidence that the sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein kept a "client list" containing the names of the world's influential figures. As reported by USA Today on Tuesday, this contradicts the previous allegations made by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
When asked about the release of Epstein's "client list" in an interview with Fox News in February, Pam Bondi seemed to confirm its existence: "It's sitting on my desk right now to review," she said.
However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in a press briefing on Sunday, July 7, that Bondi's statement referred to the "the entirety of all of the paperwork" in Epstein's case, not Epstein's client list.
"They committed to an exhaustive investigation. That's what they did, and they provided the results of that," Leavitt said. "That's transparency."
The review of Epstein's materials by the U.S. government also found no evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. It was also reported that he was not murdered while in custody, according to a memo released on July 7 detailing the agency's findings.
The memo, first reported by Axios, emerged after President Donald Trump's supporters urged the government to release details about Epstein's associates following Trump's support for it during the 2024 presidential campaign.
The Department of Justice and FBI stated that they did not find evidence to warrant an investigation into uncharged third parties in Epstein's case.
Despite various conspiracy theories about Epstein's death in a federal prison in New York, the FBI concluded that he died by suicide on August 10, 2019. This was determined by the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City and previous investigations, according to the memo.
Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death came more than a decade after he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor, which had him registered as a sex offender.
"One of our highest priorities is combatting child exploitation and bringing justice to victims," the memo stated.
"Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends. To that end, while we have labored to provide the public with maximum information regarding Epstein and ensured examination of any evidence in the government’s possession, it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted."
The memo stated that the FBI reviewed over 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence during the digital search of databases, hard drives, and network drives. The FBI also conducted physical searches of cabinets, desks, wardrobes, and other locked areas where materials from the Epstein investigation were stored.
Epstein's files contained a large number of images of Epstein and underage or seemingly underage victims, according to the memo, as well as over 10,000 videos and images of illegal child sexual abuse material and other pornography.
"Through this review, we found no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography," the memo stated.
The review confirmed previous findings that Epstein had harmed over 1,000 people. The materials reviewed by the FBI included personal details about the victims, including names, physical descriptions, birthplaces, associates, and employment histories.
On Tuesday, Trump brushed off questions about the case.
“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy’s been talked about for years,” Trump said, as quoted from TIME. "Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable."
"I can't believe you're asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, when we're having some of the greatest success, and also tragedy with what happened in Texas. It just seems like a desecration."
Disclaimer: To report any doubts or concerns related to child safeguarding, child sexual abuse, and/or violence against children, please contact the nearest authorities and/or relevant organizations. Child Helpline International at https://childhelplineinternational.org/helplines/ provides an extensive list of global helplines for accessible assistance and counseling services for children and young people. To report wrongdoings against children, including online child sexual abuse material and imagery, the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children at https://www.icmec.org/hotlines-and-helplines/ provides a list of global hotlines.
If you’re in Indonesia, you can contact the Ministry of Social Affairs’ TePSA hotline at 1500771, or the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection’s SAPA Service 129 at 08111 129 129. For immediate dangers, call the police at Call Center 110.
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