What the hell is going on with the prison video from around the time of Jeffrey Epstein’s death?

Some shit, like fucking video recordings from the time around Jeffrey Epstein’s death should not be hard for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to lay hands on. Instead, five days following his demise, CNN lists among open questions, “What does surveillance video show, which cameras were operational and do the logs of inmate checks match the video that exists?”^[1]

Probably many of the other open questions that CNN lists can be explained by guards wanting “use immunity” before they cooperate. “Use immunity” is supposed to protect them, the guards, from potential criminal investigations,^[2] which admittedly looks like hell.

But there’s context: I noted earlier that

William Barr is making clear that it will be the prison, “which long was considered to be among the best-run facilities in the Bureau of Prisons system,” that takes the blame for Epstein’s death,^[3] saying “[w]e are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and demand a thorough investigation,”^[4] though “[i]n congressional testimony earlier this year, . . . Barr conceded the bureau was ‘short’ about 4,000 or 5,000 employees and said he had lifted the hiring freeze and was trying to ensure a steady pipeline of new officers to replace those who leave.”^[5][6]

If you think you’re going to be blamed, it only makes sense to seek any immunity you can get, any way you can get it. And I think the guards are pretty clear that they’re going to be blamed.

That doesn’t answer about the video. What the hell is going on with the video? This, to me, stinks to high hell because I’m trying and completely failing to understand how this can even be a problem without somebody withholding or destroying evidence—which would itself be a crime. Which of course amounts to a screaming invitation for all that conspiracy theorizing about how Epstein might have been killed to ensure his silence on fellow elite misdeeds.

And now, despite the apparent absence of that evidence, the coroner has ruled Epstein’s death a suicide.^[7] Show me the damned video.

1. ^[1]Evan Perez and Mark Morales, “Basic facts about Epstein’s suicide elude investigators 5 days later,” CNN, August 15, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/15/politics/jeffrey-epstein-prison-suicide-questions/index.html↩
2. ^[2]Evan Perez and Mark Morales, “Basic facts about Epstein’s suicide elude investigators 5 days later,” CNN, August 15, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/15/politics/jeffrey-epstein-prison-suicide-questions/index.html↩
3. ^[3]David Shortell and Evan Perez, “Barr cites ‘failure’ at NYC jail that held Epstein, says ‘co-conspirators’ should not rest easy,” CNN, August 12, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/12/politics/barr-new-york-jail-epstein/index.html↩
4. ^[4]William Barr, quoted in David Shortell and Evan Perez, “Barr cites ‘failure’ at NYC jail that held Epstein, says ‘co-conspirators’ should not rest easy,” CNN, August 12, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/12/politics/barr-new-york-jail-epstein/index.html↩
5. ^[5]Matt Zapotosky and Devlin Barrett, “Corrections officers did not check on Epstein for ‘several’ hours before his death, violating protocol, person familiar with case says,” Washington Post, August 11, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/it-was-inevitable-officers-watching-epstein-were-on-overtime-due-to-jail-staffing-shortage-union-president-says/2019/08/11/2b611404-bc5e-11e9-a5c6-1e74f7ec4a93_story.html↩
6. ^[6]David Benfell, “Jeffrey Epstein almost certainly committed suicide. Not that that will quiet the conspiracy clowns,” Irregular Bullshit, August 12, 2019, https://disunitedstates.com/2019/08/12/jeffrey-epstein-almost-certainly-committed-suicide-not-that-that-will-quiet-the-conspiracy-clowns/↩
7. ^[7]Devlin Barrett, “Jeffrey Epstein’s autopsy concludes his death was a suicide by hanging,” Washington Post, August 16, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/jeffrey-epsteins-autopsy-concludes-his-death-was-a-suicide-by-hanging/2019/08/16/bb670d58-c053-11e9-a5c6-1e74f7ec4a93_story.html↩