MSNBC’s Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough was in hysterics while discussing Attorney General Pam Bondi’s explanation for why a full minute is missing from the surveillance tape outside the cell of the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein on the night he died.

A newly released memo from the Department of Justice said a recent investigation concluded Epstein took his own life and was not murdered, claiming video footage from a camera outside his cell confirmed no one entered that night. The memo then linked to the footage, and people were quick to notice that a full minute is missing between 11:58 pm and midnight.

Related

Rachel Maddow eviscerates Trump administration for lying about Jeffrey Epstein investigation
It’s not clear when they lied or which exact claim is untrue, but things are definitely not adding up.

When asked about this, Bondi claimed the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) said that every night, the surveillance cameras reset, and thus the same minute should be missing each evening. She said they are looking for another video to release showing that a minute is missing every night.

Insights for the LGBTQ+ community

Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

“I’m not a surveillance expert,” Scarborough said, “but they set up a system that has a minute missing every night?”

“I’ll tell you what we’re going to do,” he mocked, “I got this great new system we’re going to set up in the prison, because we want to make sure that nothing really, really bad happens.”

“So this system is great, and it’s going to go all 24 hours, but like, like late at night when bad sh*t can really go down, what we’re going to do is, we’re going to have a minute missing so it can reset…. I’m curious, would you go to this surveillance company to set up your home security cameras?”

“My understanding is, for 23 hours and 59 minutes, it’s the safest prison you could want,” replied co-host Jonathan Lemire, adding that Bondi’s explanation “defies reason.”

“You know, that last minute, you take your chances, I guess… and certainly it is remarkable on just the shift in tone here.”

Scarborough could not stop laughing as he pointed out the massive security issues BOP would have if every camera skipped the same minute every day.

“Since everybody knows that you have that minute that skips, I mean, thank God, thank God they know that because they’ll make sure not to do anything bad during that minute when the film doesn’t work… Who’s ever heard of a prison surveillance camera that was set up to not record the same minute every day?”

Lemire also discussed how the administration’s sudden resolve to shut down conversations about the Epstein files is extremely contradictory to its previous messaging on the topic.

“That’s why we’re seeing a bit of… infighting in Trump world, in MAGA land right now, because they’ve been promised for so long to get the goods,” he explained.

Indeed, many of Donald Trump’s supporters are angry that the memo stated there was “no incriminating ‘client list’” following an “exhaustive review” and that “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.”

Conspiracy theories regarding the existence of this client list have circulated for years. After taking office, the Trump administration fueled those rumors and even promised to release the list, along with other files from the Epstein investigation. In response, folks on social media have been sharing a clip of Bondi telling Fox News viewers that an Epstein client list was “sitting on my desk to review.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt spun the flip-flop to reporters on Monday, claiming that when Bondi said the client list was on her desk, “she was saying the entirety of all of the paperwork, all of the paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes.”

But the MAGA world, which has been obsessed with Epstein conspiracy theories, is not happy about this. Rightwing activist Robby Starbuck called the flip-flop “unacceptable.”

“Was she lying then or is she lying now?” he wrote on X. “We deserve answers.”

Conservative commentator Rogan O’Handley said the DOJ memo symbolizes a “shameful chapter.”

Trump – who was found liable for sexual abuse by a jury in the past – has also been accused of sexually abusing girls brought to him by Epstein.

Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.