FBI’s ‘Raw’ Epstein Video Was Likely Edited, Metadata Review Allegedly Shows

The FBI’s so-called “raw” surveillance footage from outside Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell on the night of his death was likely edited, according to a Friday WIRED review of the video’s metadata.

The Bureau and Department of Justice (DOJ) reiterated its conclusion that Epstein killed himself at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York in a memo released Sunday to Axios. To bolster that claim, it released two videos from outside his cell — one labelled “enhanced” for clarity, the other described as “raw.” (RELATED: ‘Dark Forces At Play’: MAGA Revolts Over Trump DOJ’s Epstein Findings)

But two independent video forensics experts WIRED consulted said the “raw” video was anything but.

“The ‘raw’ file shows clear signs of having been processed using an Adobe product, most likely Premiere, based on metadata that specifically references file extensions used by the video editing software,” WIRED wrote.

The outlet also claimed the file “appears to have been assembled from at least two source clips, saved multiple times, exported, and then uploaded to the DOJ’s website.” Far from a continuous stream of surveillance footage, the supposedly “raw” video was allegedly a composite stitched together from at least two separate MP4 files, they said.

The experts reportedly cautioned WIRED readers that while the metadata confirms the footage was altered, it doesn’t necessarily prove the edits were deceptive.

“The changes could be benign—for example, converting footage from a proprietary surveillance format to a standard MP4,” the outlet wrote.

But that caveat is unlikely to mollify Americans, particularly within President Donald Trump’s base, who already suspect the FBI and DOJ of being less than forthcoming.

“I AM SICK OF THE LIES! YOU LOOKED AT US AND YOU LIED RIGHT TO OUR FACES,” conservative commentator Jack Posobiec said on his show Wednesday.

“I AM SICK OF THE LIES! YOU LOOKED AT US AND YOU LIED RIGHT TO OUR FACES”@JackPosobiec pic.twitter.com/iF3nTyBTlE

— Real America’s Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) July 9, 2025

The FBI’s nearly 11-hour video also omits the moment guards entered Epstein’s cell and discovered his body. A running timestamp at the bottom of both video versions jumps abruptly from 11:58:58 p.m. to 12:00:00 a.m., skipping an entire minute.

Attorney General Pam Bondi addressed the missing footage during a Tuesday cabinet meeting, which was open to the press.

“There was a minute that was off the counter, and what we learned from the Bureau of Prisons is every night they redo that video, so every night the video is reset, and every night should have the same minute missing,” Bondi told reporters.

The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) confirmed Bondi’s statement but declined to comment further. The FBI also declined to comment.

Epstein was housed in the MCC’s Special Housing Unit (SHU) awaiting trial for federal sex trafficking charges.