Video taken outside Jeffrey Epstein’s cell on the night he died has been released by the US House oversight committee, contradicting Attorney General Pam Bondi’s assertion that the footage was recorded over. The so-called “missing minute” of CCTV footage, a key ingredient of conspiracy theories surrounding the sex offender’s prison death, was among 33,000 pages of records released late on Tuesday.
The FBI had previously released hours of surveillance footage from outside Epstein’s cell at Manhattan’s Metropolitan correctional center, but observers noted a one-minute gap from 11.59pm to midnight on 10 August 2019. Bondi had claimed the prison’s CCTV system was routinely reset every 24 hours, creating a “missing” minute each night. However, CBS reported later that month that a full version existed, and Tuesday’s release included the previously unaccounted-for 60 seconds.
The footage reveals nothing out of the ordinary, showing a handful of guards working outside the cell. Other previously unseen images include Epstein being escorted by guards to make a phone call. Most of the released files contain information already publicly known, including court documents relating to Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who is reportedly pressing the Trump administration for a pardon.
The release comes as President Donald Trump faces renewed scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein. The controversy has caused a rare split in Republican ranks, with some lawmakers demanding more transparency. Congressman Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, joined Democrat Ro Khanna in filing a discharge petition to force the release of all Epstein files, but House Speaker Mike Johnson called the effort “meaningless”.
