SACRAMENTO, United States, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI concluded that there is no evidence U.S. financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein "blackmailed powerful figures, kept a 'client list' or was murdered," Axios reported Sunday, citing a confidential memo it obtained.
The findings mark "the first time (U.S. President Donald) Trump's administration has officially contradicted conspiracy theories about Epstein's activities and his death," said the American news website, raising more questions on U.S. politicians' role in the huge scandal.
For years, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and former FBI Director Christopher Wray, joined more recently by current FBI Director Kash Patel, publicly questioned the conclusion that Epstein died by suicide, describing it as a potential "deep state cover-up." Bondi told Fox News in an interview in February 2023 that "the deep state wanted Epstein silenced."
Epstein's notoriety began with a 2008 plea deal, where he admitted to procuring a minor for prostitution. He was arrested again in July 2019 and charged with sex trafficking of minors between 2002 and 2005.
Five weeks later, on Aug. 10, he was found hanging in his cell at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center. Faulty hallway cameras and guards who admitted to falsifying logs fueled public doubt about the official ruling of suicide.
Wray testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in May 2024 that the Bureau was "not yet prepared to rule out foul play." Patel echoed that sentiment on CNN in March 2025, saying, "critical evidence points to something far more sinister than suicide."
But Sunday's leaked memo indicated that the Trump Administration's investigators reviewed the malfunctioning video equipment and found "no third-party involvement."
Yet some prominent figures continued to stoke suspicion. Last month, U.S. billionaire Elon Musk posted -- and later deleted -- claims on his social platform X that Trump appeared in secret "Epstein Files," without offering any evidence to support the allegation.
Recently unsealed court papers added nothing new linking Trump to the case, The Washington Post reported. Trump's documented ties to Epstein date to the 1990s, when the pair attended parties at Mar-a-Lago and socialized in New York's high society circles. ■
