A senior CNN legal analyst has been vindicated after expressing immediate scepticism over a postcard purportedly written by Jeffrey Epstein, which was later officially declared a fake by the US Department of Justice.
Analyst's Early Doubts Proven Correct
During an appearance on CNN's The Situation Room on Tuesday morning, former federal prosecutor Elie Honig warned viewers to be wary of the note addressed to convicted serial child molester Larry Nassar. The 50-year-old legal expert highlighted that the letter was allegedly penned just days before the financier's death in August 2019, while he was in federal custody.
'He's just been prosecuted by Donald Trump's DOJ itself,' Honig explained, suggesting Epstein might have been trying to leave a deliberate message. He also pointed out that the document would face significant 'multiple levels of hearsay' challenges in any legal proceeding, rendering it likely inadmissible.
Department of Justice Investigation and Findings
The DOJ swiftly launched an inquiry into the letter's validity after it was released alongside roughly 11,000 other Epstein-related documents. By 3:30 pm on Tuesday, the agency issued a definitive statement declaring the correspondence a fabrication.
'The FBI has confirmed this alleged letter from Jeffrey Epstein to Larry Nassar is FAKE,' the statement read. Officials revealed the letter had been received by the jail at the time and was immediately flagged for the FBI.
The DOJ outlined several conclusive reasons for the finding:
- The handwriting did not match Epstein's known writing.
- The postmark was dated three days after Epstein's death on August 9, 2019.
- The postal seal originated from Northern Virginia, while Epstein was jailed in New York.
- The return address failed to list the correct detention facility.
- The card omitted Epstein's inmate number, which is standard protocol for all outgoing federal prison mail.
Content of the Fabricated Letter and Wider Context
The fraudulent postcard contained inflammatory claims, with the author posing as Epstein assuring Nassar – the former USA Gymnastics team doctor serving a 40-to-175-year sentence for abuse – that 'our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls.' Donald Trump was president at the time the letter was dated.
The DOJ used the incident to issue a stark reminder: 'just because a document is released by the Department of Justice does not make the allegations or claims within the document factual.' The agency confirmed it would continue to release all material mandated by law.
This document dump, comprising nearly 30,000 pages, is the latest in a series of releases related to the Epstein case. The episode underscores the challenges of interpreting raw legal documents without context, a point echoed in earlier commentary by analysts discussing the potential for misinformation.
