Both analyses found that the two clips were marked as “2025-05-22 16-35-21.mp4” and “2025-05-22 21-12-48.mp4” and stitched together. The first clip was 4 hours, 19 minutes and 16 seconds long, but only appeared in the first 4 hours, 16 minutes and 23.368 seconds in the release version, which means nearly 2 minutes and 53 seconds were cut from the end. According to the metadata, the incision occurs at 11:58:58 pm. Before Bondy said the one-minute record gap, the cut was milliseconds, caused by the quirk of the surveillance system. The second clip “2025-05-22 21-12-48.mp4” was then picked up immediately, and the video continued from 12:00:00 am am until 6:40:00 am.
Wired reviewed its findings through two independent video forensic experts, each with over 15 years of experience in premiere and video production, confirming that the editing takes place before the missing minute mark and that about three minutes of footage was cut from the original clip.
The FBI released the “original” and enhanced versions of the video. Both versions include internal comment tags, which are often used to edit the software to mark comments for moments of interest. The enhanced version of the FBI called Video 2 contains 15 such markers, apparently corresponding to the visible action near the “46 Doors” at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC). The door is near the cell and Epstein is held while awaiting trial on sexual trafficking charges. These markers appear to be left by analysts during the comments, but they do not include the original comment text.
According to a 2023 report from the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (OIG), at the time of his death, only two cameras (SHUs) near the special housing units (SHUs) were MCC areas held by Epstein and were being filmed and recorded at the time of his death. According to the report, the video recorder released on July 7 captured most of Shu’s public areas and videos that resulted in a portion of various “layers”, part of which was Epstein’s cell.
The OIG report noted that at the time of Epstein’s death, the MCC’s surveillance system “has not been properly maintained” and stored video files “often failed and needed to be replaced” DVR hard drives.
The 2023 OIG report and the DOJ-FBI memo published last week both indicate that anyone entering or trying to access the Epstein cell from SHU COONMAN EAGRAIN on August 9 or 10, 2019 can see it on this camera. However, Epstein’s cell door itself is not within the camera’s field of view. The stairs leading to the floor where he was imprisoned were also partially hindered and are difficult to see clearly in the video. (According to the OIG report, the second camera covers “two of four elevators on the fire exit on the ninth floor and flooring.”
Amid opposition from supporters and critics, President Donald Trump defended Bundy on Saturday, saying she did “excellent work.”
“My ‘boy’ and in some cases ‘What’s wrong with the Gals?’ What’s going on? They’re all following Attorney General Pam Bondi, who did a great job!” Trump wrote in a post about the Truth Society. “We’re in a team, Maga, I don’t like what’s going on. We have a perfect government, talk about the world and ‘selfish people’ trying to hurt it, a never-dead man, Jeffrey Epstein.”
