FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said on Fox News Wednesday that a video shows that Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender, died by suicide while in federal custody in New York City.
Newsweek has contacted the FBI for comment by email.
Why It Matters
Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on new sex trafficking charges. While officials in the first Trump administration ruled that his death was a suicide, conspiracy theories that he was murdered in custody to protect high-profile individuals, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and Britain’s Prince Andrew, who were part of his social circle, have persisted.
What To Know
Bongino, who previously promoted conspiracies that Epstein may have been killed, sat down with Fox News host Sean Hannity to discuss video footage of Epstein’s cell area in the period leading up to his death on August 10, 2019.
“The evidence we have in our files clearly indicates that it was, in fact, a suicide. We do have video. It’s not the greatest video in the world. I don’t want to set expectations on fire,” the bureau’s deputy director said.
Bongino said the footage, which is roughly 12 hours long, shows Epstein making a phone call and being checked on by guards at regular intervals.
“However, the video does show in that specific block, that he goes in, made a phone call; you’ll see 12 hours of guards going in basically check on him, come back. You’ll see nobody really comes out of that bay in that area than him. There’s no one in there,” he told Hannity.
The former pro-Trump podcaster said that the video, when combined with other evidence that will be released by the FBI in the coming weeks, makes things “pretty clear.”
“However, as I’ve clearly indicated in some of my tweets on my official account, listen, if new information surfaces in the future on any of these cases we’re always open,” Bongino said.
“I’m just telling you there’s nothing there in the file at all that indicates anything other than in fact a suicide,” he added.
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino teases the soon-to-be released Epstein video, Says it confirms that he killed himself. He also announces more new information will be coming in the next few weeks: “The evidence we have in our files clearly indicates that it was in fact a… pic.twitter.com/wMtb6At6bM
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 5, 2025
Bongino has previously questioned official reports on Epstein’s death.
“Listen, that Jeffrey Epstein story is a big deal, please do not let that story go. Keep your eye on this,” he told his audience of millions in 2023.
And in a podcast episode aired on January 4, 2024, Bongino played an excerpt of a journalist saying she was “100 percent” convinced that the disgraced financier was killed in his jail cell “because he made his whole living blackmailing people.”
At a later point in the episode, Bongino said: “This is where I get really upset at the media.”
He said reporters had “done almost like no—maybe because I was an investigator before, it’s like, I’m amazed at how few people are putting two and two together.”
On February 10, days into his tenure as FBI deputy director, Bongino said: “I’m not ever gonna let this story go. I’m not letting it go ever.”
Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, said in 2024 he doesn’t believe the late financier died by suicide, and called for a new investigation into his death. He speculated that another prisoner could have gained access to his brother’s cell and killed him, and claimed he was told not all cell doors were locked on the night of his death.
“I would like a full investigation of his death. If you look at all the evidence, including the autopsy, the photographs of his body, the bulls*** DOJ report that is filled with inaccuracies, you would never come up with the conclusion that this was a suicide—but based on what?” he told The Guardian in January 2024.
The Trump administration in February declassified and publicly released additional files related to Epstein, but the documents did not offer major revelations. FBI Director Kash Patel said last week the federal government is in no “rush” to release more information about the disgraced financier.
What People Are Saying
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Fox News’ Fox & Friends last week: “There is nothing in the file at this point on the Epstein case—and there is going to be a disclosure on this coming shortly…there is video. That is something the public does not know. There’s no one there but him.”
Bongino said in a May 10 post on X: “We are working with the DOJ on the Epstein case and, as the AG stated, there are voluminous amounts of downloaded child sexual abuse material that we are dealing with. There are also victim’s statements that are entitled to specific protections. We need to do this correctly, but I do understand the public’s desire to get the information out there.”
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement on February 27: “This Department of Justice is following through on President Trump’s commitment to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators. The first phase of files released today sheds light on Epstein’s extensive network and begins to provide the public with long overdue accountability.”
What Happens Next
The FBI hasn’t provided a timeline for the release of the video.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “988” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org
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