Trump DOJ Email Labels Epstein Death 'Murder,' Daily Beast Reports

A Department of Justice email from the Trump administration referred to Jeffrey Epstein’s death as a “murder,” The Daily Beast reported.¹ The characterization contradicts the official determination by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office, which ruled Epstein’s death a suicide by hanging.¹

The message was sent during the period when Donald Trump was president and William Barr served as attorney general.¹ Epstein died on August 10, 2019, at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, where he was being held on federal sex trafficking charges.¹

The email provides a window into internal DOJ discussions during the investigation into Epstein’s death. Its use of the term “murder” suggests disagreement or skepticism within the department about the suicide ruling.¹

Failures in Federal Custody

Epstein died while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors.¹ He had been arrested in July 2019 and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was found unresponsive in his cell early on a Saturday morning.¹

The Bureau of Prisons faced criticism for failures in monitoring Epstein. Two guards assigned to check on him every 30 minutes allegedly fell asleep and falsified records to cover up their failure to conduct required checks.¹ The guards were later charged with conspiracy and making false records, though those charges were eventually dismissed.¹

Epstein had been placed on suicide watch following an earlier incident, but that watch had been lifted before his death.¹

Barr Investigation

Attorney General Barr stated after Epstein’s death that there were “serious irregularities” at the facility.¹ He ordered the FBI and the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate the circumstances.¹

The Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Epstein died, was a federal facility that had long faced criticism for its conditions and security failures. The facility was eventually closed in 2021, with officials citing deteriorating conditions and operational challenges.¹

Prior Conviction and 2019 Charges

Epstein had previously been convicted in 2008 on state charges of soliciting a minor in Florida.¹ He served 13 months in a county jail under a controversial plea agreement that has since been the subject of litigation and congressional investigation.¹

His 2019 arrest came more than a decade after that conviction, as federal prosecutors in New York brought new charges related to alleged sex trafficking of minors in the early 2000s.¹

The emergence of the DOJ email adds another dimension to scrutiny of the government’s handling of Epstein’s case and the circumstances surrounding his death in federal custody.¹

References

1. The Daily Beast — “Donald Trump’s DOJ Email Calling Jeffrey Epstein’s Death ‘Murder’ Surfaces”