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The Department of Justice took down the video from its website, but not before it went viral on the internet. (MarioGuti - iStock / Getty Images)

Fact Check: Was the Video of Jeffrey Epstein's Suicide Accidentally Published by the DOJ Actually Real?

By C. Douglas Golden December 29, 2025 at 8:09am

It was, for many, an explosive bit of information accidentally released — and then buried — by the Department of Justice, apparently showing disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein trying to commit suicide.

But was it real?

Last Monday, the DOJ posted the 12-second video as part of a tranche of documents it released about the sordid details of the Epstein case. It was removed shortly afterward.

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Tags:

Congress, Department of Justice, Fact check, Jeffrey Epstein, Suicide

C. Douglas Golden

Contributor, Commentary

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@CillianZeal

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C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he enjoys spending time with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties).

Birthplace

Morristown, New Jersey

Education

Catholic University of America

Languages Spoken

English, Spanish

Topics of Expertise

American Politics, World Politics, Culture