Jeffrey Epstein 'client list' does not exist, US Justice Department says in apparent U-turn

No more files related to sex trafficking probe into Epstein would be released, the government said, after attorney general promoted the "client list" theory.

Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide and did not keep a list of his clients, the US Justice Department has concluded after reviewing files on the disgraced financier.The announcement that Epstein did not maintain a "client list" of associates to whom underage girls were trafficked quashed a long-running theory that US Attorney General Pam Bondi boosted earlier this year when she said she possessed such a document.Bondi told Fox News in February that the document was "sitting on [her] desk right now to review". But on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Justice Department Spokesperson Chad Gilmartin attempted to walk this statement back, saying that Bondi had been referring to the overall Epstein case files.The Justice Department also pushed back on a central conspiracy theory surrounding Epstein by confirming that his death in August 2019 in federal custody was by suicide. It released footage from inside a New York jail that it hoped would put paid to the rumours that Epstein had been killed when he died in custody awaiting his sex trafficking trial.Officials have long maintained that he died by suicide, from then-Attorney General William Barr saying in November 2019 that he had watched security footage that proved that no-one entered the area where Epstein was held on the night he died.But despite its release of the footage, the department said it would not be publishing further documents about Epstein's sex trafficking case.Why will no more evidence will be released?Bondi had previously told reporters that the FBI was reviewing "tens of thousands of videos" of the wealthy financier "with children or child porn". The statement was surprising as neither Epstein nor his socialite former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell had been charged with possession of child sex abuse material — despite the fact that this would have been a much easier offence to prove in court than the sex trafficking charges they faced.The department has not clarified more details of when the footage was discovered. AP noted the existence of a 2023 court filing in which Epstein’s estate was revealed to have discovered videos and photos that it said might contain child sex abuse material — but it remained unclear whether Bondi was referring to footage discovered after the criminal cases had concluded. The Justice Department did not clarify.In a memo first reported by Axios, the department said that no "further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted", noting that much of the material was placed under seal by a court to protect victims and "only a fraction" of it "would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial”."One of our highest priorities is combating child exploitation and bringing justice to victims," the memo reads. "Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends."What has the reaction been?Far-right influencers have poured scorn over Bondi and the Justice Department for what they see as another letdown over the case. The attorney general had spent weeks hinting that more material was going to be released, saying at one point that "it’s a new administration and everything is going to come out to the public".Bondi had initially angered MAGA online personalities and US President Donald Trump's voter base after she invited far-right influencers to the White House in February and handed them files marked "The Epstein Files: Phase 1" and "Declassified". But the document disclosure was mostly made up of redacted documents already in the public domain and containing no new revelations.Tech mogul Elon Musk shared a series of photos of a clown applying makeup appearing to mock Bondi for saying the client list doesn't exist after claiming months ago that it had been on her desk.What has Trump said about the Epstein files?Trump's administration had promised to release the Epstein files, and the memo is significant as it officially contradicts conspiracy theories about Epstein's death and that he maintained a "client list".Former MAGA influencers, FBI Director Kash Patel and the bureau's Deputy Director Dan Bongino had previously been influential in spreading conspiracy theories about Epstein — though both have since said Epstein killed himself.As Musk and Trump's alliance combusted last month, the former accused the president, without providing evidence, of being included in the Epstein files. "Time to drop the really big bomb: Trump is in the Epstein files," Musk posted on X last month. The so-called Epstein files refer to thousands of pages of records that have been released through lawsuits, Epstein’s criminal dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests over the years.Trump rejected Musk's allegations, telling reporters the billionaire had "lost his mind". There is no evidence of his participation in illegal activities with Epstein. Musk later deleted his accusation and other posts on X, saying he "went too far".