Was Jeffrey Epstein Murdered? A Former CIA Officer's View

TL;DR

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou says the physical evidence in Jeffrey Epstein's death does not add up: forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden found the hyoid bone fractured, indicative of homicide, and Epstein was taken off suicide watch two days before dying while sharing a cell with a convicted serial killer. Kiriakou argues the real question is who monitored the wired-up mansion rooms and why no arrests followed beyond Ghislaine Maxwell.

Transcript

All right, John Keryaku, welcome back, my friend. Thank you. It's good to be back. I'm excited to talk to you today. The world is uh up in smoke right now. Yeah. Lots of crazy [ __ ] going on. Nuts. Is Trump the most pro-Israel president we've ever had in this country? I would say yes. I think it's by far. Probably. You know, if you just look at th... Read More

Key Insights

• Moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is cited as the single act making Trump the most pro-Israel president, since 1990s law required the move only after peace with the Palestinians and prior presidents held it back.
• The 'Epstein files' framing is described as a distraction, because the demand is for the hard drive and video footage rather than a document that could be assembled from names already public in the long-available black book.
• Epstein's black book went to auction at Alexander Auctions on Maryland's Eastern Shore with a 75,000 to 100,000 dollar estimate and did not sell, raising the question of why the FBI has not released its own copy of the names.
• Virginia Giuffre testified that Epstein's Caribbean mansion had a room with floor-to-ceiling monitors staffed by observers, and that every room and bathroom was wired for video, yet none of that footage has ever surfaced publicly.
• Dr. Michael Baden, a prominent forensic coroner, publicly stated he believed Epstein's death was a homicide because the hyoid bone was fractured, though he acknowledged the fragile bone can break in multiple ways.
• In studied hangings where feet cannot touch the ground, roughly 25 percent of autopsies showed one to two broken bones near the hyoid, but Epstein reportedly had all three broken despite a low jail bunk offering little drop height.
• Physical inconsistencies raised by brother Mark Epstein include a noose officials described as cut with scissors that photos show as a hemmed seam, plus a released cell photo that did not match the security footage image.
• Epstein was taken off suicide watch two days before his death and housed with a prisoner facing multiple murder counts, rather than being moved to medical or a glass-walled observation cell as standard suicide protocol requires.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why is Trump described as the most pro-Israel U.S. president?

The strongest cited reason is Trump's decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. A 1990s law directed that relocation but conditioned it on first achieving peace with the Palestinians, so successive presidents repeatedly placed a hold on it. Trump broke with that pattern and carried out the move anyway, an act Kiriakou says on its own establishes him as by far the most pro-Israel president.

Q: What is the difference between the Epstein 'files' and what critics actually want released?

Kiriakou argues the 'files' framing is a form of gaslighting because a file could be a document assembled in a back office at Langley from a few names in the black book, which has been public for years. What people actually want is the hard drive and the surveillance footage. Virginia Giuffre testified that Epstein's Caribbean mansion had every room and bathroom wired for video, so the real question is where those recordings went.

Q: What happened to Epstein's black book?

The black book was put up for auction at Alexander Auctions, a house on Maryland's Eastern Shore that specializes mostly in World War II material and Americana. The estimate was 75,000 to 100,000 dollars, but the book did not sell. Kiriakou notes the addresses inside have long been visible, which raises the question of why the FBI does not simply release its own copy of the names if the identities are already known.

Q: Why do some believe Epstein's death was a homicide rather than suicide?

The pivotal point is that Dr. Michael Baden, described as one of the foremost forensic coroners in the world, publicly stated he believed the death was a homicide because Epstein's hyoid bone was fractured, which he called indicative of strangulation. Baden conceded the fragile bone can break in several ways, including during a self-strangulation, but his definitive on-the-record homicide statement is what gives Kiriakou pause about the official suicide ruling.

Q: What does the hyoid bone statistic reveal about Epstein's death?

Medical research on people who died in genuine hangings, where the feet cannot touch the ground and there is real trauma, found that in about 25 percent of those autopsies one to two bones around the hyoid were broken. Epstein reportedly had all three broken. This stands out because he was in a small cell with no real height to jump from, at most the top bunk of a bunk bed, which would not generate that kind of force.

Q: What physical inconsistencies did Mark Epstein point out?

Epstein's brother Mark highlighted several discrepancies. Officials described the noose as having been cut, supposedly with scissors, but the actual photo showed a hemmed seam instead. The image of the jail cell released right after the death did not match the security footage and appeared to show a completely different cell. These mismatches between the official descriptions and the photographic evidence are among the details Kiriakou says simply do not add up.

Q: What procedural failures surrounded Epstein's suicide watch?

Epstein said he was suicidal and was placed on suicide watch, but he was taken off it two days before he died. Rather than moving him to medical or a glass-walled observation cell where a naked prisoner is watched constantly, as Kiriakou describes from prison protocol, officials housed Epstein with a cellmate who was in on multiple murder counts and was a serial killer. The scene was later contaminated by twelve unrelated people entering the cell.

Q: Why is Israeli intelligence raised in connection with Epstein?

Kiriakou states it is widely believed Epstein was working on behalf of Israeli intelligence, pointing to Ehud Barak frequently being at Epstein's apartment and office as an alleged handler, and to the Robert Maxwell and Ghislaine Maxwell connection. He ties this to a broader pattern, noting Jonathan Pollard's handler was pardoned by Trump. He questions why Trump cannot acknowledge the Israel link, and why Pam Bondi said no arrests would follow beyond Ghislaine Maxwell.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Kiriakou frames Trump as the most pro-Israel president, pointing to the embassy move to Jerusalem, and argues the Epstein 'files' debate is a distraction from the real evidence: the hard drive and the surveillance video from a mansion Virginia Giuffre testified was wired in every room.

• The forensic case for homicide rests on Dr. Michael Baden's finding of a fractured hyoid bone and the statistic that only 25 percent of studied hangings break one or two nearby bones, while Epstein reportedly had all three broken in a low cell.

• Multiple procedural red flags are cited: Epstein was removed from suicide watch two days before death, placed with a convicted serial killer, and the scene was contaminated by twelve unrelated people, while officials say no arrests will follow beyond Ghislaine Maxwell.