This browser does not support the Video element.
DOJ begins releasing documents in Jeffrey Epstein case
The Department of Justice begins releasing documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case, and one of them shows Epstein met his first known victim in Michigan. The Pulse breaks down the latest and gets reaction to the release
(FOX 2) - The federal government is walking back a letter that was released in its latest document dump that included correspondence between Jeffrey Epstein and Larry Nassar.
The FBI said the letter, which was addressed to "L.N." and signed by "J. Epstein," is fake.
Justice Department says letter is "FAKE"
In a Tuesday afternoon message posted on social media, the U.S. Department of Justice said the letter sent from Epstein to Nassar is fake.
The update posted on X came hours after the DOJ's latest batch of documents was released online, with the FBI concluding it was not real.
"The FBI has confirmed this alleged letter from Jeffrey Epstein to Larry Nassar is FAKE. The fake letter was received by the jail, and flagged for the FBI at the time."
It reached its conclusion saying the handwriting in the letter did not match Epstein's, the letter was postmarked "three days after Epstein's death out of Northern Virginia, when he was jailed in New York," and the return address did not include the jail where Epstein was held.
The justice department did not clarify how a letter determined to be fake made it into evidence.
Catching up:
The fake letter starts with: "As you know, I have taken the ‘short route’ home. Good luck!"
"We shared one thing...our love & caring for young ladies and the hope they'd reach their full potential."
The next line appears to reference Donald Trump, who was president at the time the letter was authored.
"Our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls," the letter reads, before making a lewd reference to Trump's treatment of women.
The letter ends with "Life is unfair. Yours, J. Epstein."
Dig deeper:
Other files allegedly relating to Epstein's correspondence with Nassar were an envelope sent from the dead financier to the imprisoned doctor and a request for a handwriting analysis of the letter that was sent to the Metropolitican Correctional Center.
"FBI New York requests the Laboratory perform a handwriting analysis comparing the letter received from MCC and the handwriting of Jeffrey Epstein to conclude if the individual who wrote the letter was Epstein or another unknown person. Handwriting samples from Jeffrey Epstein's cell at MCC will be submitted along with the letter in question (in IA envelope 1A65)
It's unclear if the analysis of handwriting was ever undertaken.
Zoom out:
While Trump's name has appeared in the files several times, he has not been accused of a crime.
In a message from the U.S. Department of Justice, it said some of the documents "contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election."
Met in Michigan: New Epstein files reveal where he met his first victim
The first known victim of Jeffrey Epstein was a 13-year-old girl in Michigan in the 1990s, according to files recently released by the Department of Justice.
The Source: Files released by DOJ and previous reporting were cited for this story.