Chief Investigative Reporter
Lawmakers and federal prosecutors are calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release Jeffrey Epstein's purported suicide note, insisting that "transparency is vital" in his high-profile 2019 death.
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, urged Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in a letter on Monday to coordinate with a federal judge to allow the note attributed to the late sex offender to be "immediately reviewed" and released publicly.
"Recent reporting indicates that this note was discovered by Mr. Epstein’s cellmate, later provided to defense counsel, and ultimately placed under seal by a federal court in unrelated proceedings," Krishnamoorthi wrote. "The reporting further indicates that the note has not been publicly released and may not have been included in prior federal investigative or disclosure efforts."
The note allegedly written by Epstein, who was found dead in a New York jail cell a month after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges, has been locked away in a courthouse for nearly seven years,The New York Timesreported late last month.
Department of Justice officials have said the agency had not viewed the purported note as recently as last week.
"It is difficult to comment on something neither theNew York Times, nor we, have seen," a DOJ spokesperson toldNewsweekin a statement. "The Department underwent an exhaustive effort to collect all records in its possession responsive to the Act. This included collecting records from the Bureau of Prisons and Office of Inspector General. As a result of these efforts, nearly 3 million pages have been produced.”
Epstein's cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, said hefound the note in July 2019after the accused sex trafficker was discovered unresponsive with a strip of cloth around his neck. Epstein survived that incident but was found dead weeks later. The note was eventually sealed by a federal judge as part of Tartaglione's own criminal case, the newspaper reported.
“I opened the book to read and there it was,” Tartaglione said. He added that the note said investigators had looked into the disgraced financier and “found nothing,” and continued along the lines of “What do you want me to do, bust out crying? Time to say goodbye.”
Krishnamoorthi, who serves on the House Oversight Committee, said the Department of Justice had arrested only Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, despite the "existence of millions of documents that suggest a vast network of sex traffickers," including prominent public figures.
"It is critical that the Department avoid the appearance of covering up for criminals simply because of a person’s status andresources," Krishnamoorthi wrote. "If a suicide note exists and was not reviewed, obtained, or disclosed, the Department must explain why."
Krishnamoorthi requested a response from DOJ officials by May 18.
"Transparency in this investigation is essential," the letter continued. "A document that could bear on Mr. Epstein’s condition in the weeks before his death cannot remain sealed, unreviewed, or outside the scope of federal scrutiny."
Federal prosecutors, meanwhile, agreed withThe New York Timesand petitioned Judge Kenneth Karas in New York to unseal the purported note on Monday, arguing there's no longer a compelling interest to keep it sealed, ABC News reported.
"If Tartaglione has publicly discussed matters occurring in the Curcio proceedings, then his public statements constitute a waiver of the need for continued sealing as to the matters he has publicly disclosed," U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton wrote in a letter.
