DOJ includes clip of disputed Epstein jail-cell footage in files, but quickly kills link
Several prominent social-media influencers on Monday circulated a video — claiming it came from the Department of Justice — that shows Jeffrey Epstein attempting to take his own life inside a jail cell.
The short clip circulated widely on X after users claimed it originated from a Department of Justice file release and carried a timestamp matching the day Epstein died in federal custody in 2019, though the DOJ-hosted link began returning an “access denied” error shortly after it spread. In a now-deleted post, Benny Johnson shared the video, describing it as “breaking” and framing it as newly released jail footage, while pointing to the on-screen date.
“BREAKING: DOJ releases jail footage that appears to show Epstein attempting suicide.
The date in the upper left corner matches the day he died,” Johnson wrote.
Nick Sortor shared similar claims in a separate post, then removed it as doubts mounted. In a follow-up message, Sortor wrote that the clip appeared “more and more like things a fake video,” while adding that users were linking to a page hosted on a DOJ domain. He later issued an update saying the video was fake.
UPDATE: It appears the Epstein video which has been uploaded on the DOJ website is FAKE
It was posted on Y*uTube over five years ago, and seems to have been created using 3D rendering software
I’m still interested in finding out why it’s included in the files https://t.co/XU01CFjiCY pic.twitter.com/B43CZdKNhP
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 22, 2025
Podcast host Alec Lace also confirmed the clip was not official jail footage, saying the circulating Epstein video was an old hoax likely generated with AI or CGI and resurfaced after appearing as an attachment in released DOJ files.
Epstein “cell video” clarification:
The 12s clip circulating of Epstein is NOT official jail footage.
It’s an attachment from a 2021 anonymous email to DOJ, now released in the Dec 2025 files (Dataset 8 PDF).
Likely old hoax/CGI. It’s a fake from years ago. pic.twitter.com/XYAUsKtidS
— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) December 22, 2025
The video circulated just days after the DOJ missed the 11:59 p.m. Friday deadline set by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law Nov. 19, prompting confusion as partial materials began to surface online. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the DOJ has started releasing Epstein-related records but will continue producing additional materials on a rolling basis as internal reviews proceed and victim protections are applied.
“We are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce, making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story to the extent it needs to be protected, is completely protected,” Blanche said on “FOX and Friends.”
Public scrutiny over the Epstein files intensified after the DOJ and the FBI concluded in July that Epstein died by suicide in custody and did not keep a client list, effectively ending the review after Attorney General Pam Bondi previously said such records were being examined. Trump initially resisted releasing the files before reversing course and saying he had nothing to hide, while Ghislaine Maxwell—now serving a 20-year sentence—told Blanche that she never witnessed Trump engage in misconduct during his past association with Epstein.
The DOJ did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.