Epstein's alleged suicide note released by court order

[0:00] Breaking news for you now. A court has just ordered the release of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged [0:06] suicide note. This is an alleged suicide note not from his actual quote-unquote suicide but [0:13] from an attempted suicide from before the one where he died. CNN's Caitlin Polance is in the [0:18] newsroom with details. Caitlin Tossmore. Jake, one of the most sought-after documents that you [0:23] could imagine in the situation around Jeffrey Epstein and a moment of transparency. This is [0:29] an apparent reported suicide note. Now there isn't a full authentication of this and just this [0:35] document has been unsealed by a judge in the case of the man who was in a cell with him in July of [0:42] 2029. This note, it apparently says, and I'll read it because it is very hard to read the handwriting [0:50] there and some of these translations that we're making from the words may not be exact given how [0:57] difficult it is to read his handwriting. But Jake, it says, they investigated me for months, found [1:03] nothing. So 15 or 16 year old charges resurrected. It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say [1:13] goodbye. What you want me to do? Burst out crying. No fun. Not worth it. So this is a note that reportedly [1:23] was discovered by the cellmate of Jeffrey Epstein after his arrest in 2019 and it was discovered in [1:29] July of 2019, a time when he had apparently made a suicide attempt in jail and survived it, but then [1:38] several weeks later killed himself. There have been so many investigations around Epstein and the Justice [1:45] Department has been looking to release so many documents. This one though was tied up in the case [1:51] of his cellmate and it now has been released at the petitioning of the New York Times. [1:57] All right, Caitlin Polins, thank you so much. With us now to discuss one of the Democratic [2:00] members of the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating Epstein, Virginia Representative [2:04] Congressman James Walkinshaw. Congressman, your reaction to the breaking news? [2:09] Well, look, I think it's going to raise new questions of the circumstances around Epstein's [2:13] suicide. One of the frustrating things is that in 2023, the IG did a report investigating those [2:21] circumstances, determined they felt it was a suicide. This note wasn't even part of that [2:26] investigation. So I think it's going to add to some of the theories that are out there that it [2:30] wasn't really fully investigated. How confident are you that Epstein committed suicide? That his death [2:35] was by suicide? I think that is the most logical outcome, but I'm not 100% confident. I mean, I think [2:44] we have real questions that still need to be answered. We're going to have Tova Noel, one of the prison [2:48] guards before our committee next week. And we're going to have some tough questions about large cash [2:53] deposits that she made in the weeks before his death. And there's been reporting that Epstein was [2:58] paying protection payments to folks in the prison. I think there's still a lot of questions that need [3:03] to be answered. So speaking of tough questions, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was on Capitol Hill today [3:08] to talk to the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with Epstein. Your fellow Democrat, [3:13] Congressman Ro Khanna, called Lutnick's testimony contortions and lies. What do you think? [3:19] Well, look, here's what we know. Secretary Lutnick went on a podcast and said that he visited Epstein's [3:25] townhouse once with his wife and he was so disgusted by Epstein. He pledged. [3:29] This is like you said in 2005, 2006. [3:31] That's right. He pledged, I'm never going to be in a room with that guy again. [3:35] When the files were released, we learned he was in a room with that guy with Epstein multiple times. [3:40] And when he was asked about that today, rather than fessing up to it and saying that he misspoke [3:44] or, in my view, lied, he dissembled. He tried to argue about the definition of the word I. He said [3:50] he meant that he wouldn't be in a room himself one-on-one with Epstein again. Apparently, he was okay [3:57] being in a room with Epstein and Lutnick's wife and family. And his wife and family. [4:03] That's right. That's right. Strange thing. He was so grossed out, he didn't want to be in a room [4:07] one-on-one with Epstein. But his kids are fine. He would bring his kids. [4:10] Yeah, that's weird. Doesn't make any sense to me. [4:11] Yeah. Unlike other witnesses before the committee, Lutnick's testimony was not videotaped. Why not? [4:17] I think it's part of the ongoing cover-up, right? And I'll never say the cover-up is worse than the [4:21] crimes here because these Epstein crimes are horrific. But there's been a concerted effort by [4:26] the administration and the Republican allies in Congress to keep the American people from seeing [4:30] this. American people deserve to see Secretary Lutnick struggle to answer these basic questions. [4:37] They deserve to see the painfully odd, awkward, and weird responses he gave. [4:43] And you guys asked him about his previous comments that Epstein had engaged in blackmailing and [4:47] videotapes? That's right. We asked him what evidence he had for that. He said it was just his speculation [4:55] at the time. He's since changed his mind about that, having heard from officials in the Trump [5:00] administration who don't believe Epstein blackmailed anyone. [5:03] Your Democratic Virginia colleague, Congressman Suha Subramaniam, called for Lutnick to resign. [5:08] Do you agree? I do. Look, I think it's a breach of trust. And I know this is an old-fashioned [5:13] view. I don't think a cabinet secretary should just flat-out lie to the American people in the [5:18] way that he did. If he had come in today and shown some remorse for that, some contrition for it, [5:23] I might feel differently. But that's kind of the way of this administration. You know, [5:27] lies are a currency in the Trump administration, and I don't think they should continue to get away [5:32] with it. Files released by the Justice Department earlier this year included this picture of Lutnick [5:37] on Epstein's private island back in 2012, years after Lutnick claimed to have cut him off, [5:43] acknowledging in his own words that Epstein was a, quote, serial sex offender. [5:47] Oversight Chairman James Comer spoke about that moments ago. [5:50] I mean, I feel like that Lutnick's been very transparent. He came in voluntarily. [5:57] I said before this thing started, the only thing that I had seen that Lutnick did wrong [6:02] was wasn't 100% truthful on the brief visit to the island with his family. [6:07] He corrected that in his opening statement. And, you know, we'll see. We'll continue our investigation. [6:14] And if we find that there were any misstatements by Lutnick, it's a felony to lie to Congress, [6:20] and he'll be held accountable. We should note Lutnick has not been accused of any wrongdoing. [6:25] Let's get some perspective now with Democratic Congressman of Virginia Suha Subramaniam, [6:29] a member of the Oversight Committee. Congressman, thanks so much for being with us. [6:32] Thank you. First, what did you learn from the Commerce Secretary? [6:35] I mean, he doubled down on the dishonesty. He said, yes, I met with him in 2005 with my wife. [6:41] I went to his home. And then after that, I didn't meet with him in the same room again. [6:45] Yeah, he was in the same room with him twice. He went to his island. He brought his family to the [6:50] island. And so he was contradicting himself. He was nervous. He was evasive. He said that he [6:55] he didn't know why he went to the island. He doesn't remember why he went to the island in the [6:59] first place. And so if we hadn't found those emails showing that he'd been to the island, [7:04] if we hadn't found those pictures, I don't think he would have ever told us that he went to the [7:07] island. He's very evasive. I think he needs to resign. Do you have evidence that would disqualify him [7:13] as Commerce Secretary? Evidence of wrongdoing? I think being dishonest with Congress is [7:19] wrongdoing. And that is disqualifying in and of itself. He clearly lied to the American people [7:24] on that podcast he did where he said he never saw Howard Lutnick, where he never saw Jeffrey Epstein [7:30] ever again. And yet he admitted that he saw him twice afterwards. He doubled down on that today. He [7:35] said once again, I was in the same room as him. But being in the same room with someone, even if there's [7:39] other people in there is the same thing. And so he was trying to redefine the word I to at different [7:44] points. It was a very confusing interview and certainly disqualifying in my mind. So your response to [7:51] Chairman Comer that we just heard there is that there should be further steps taken. Oh, I think so. I [7:57] think he was dishonest with us. The reality is we gave him a chance to say, okay, you know, I misspoke [8:02] before or I lied before. I was, you know, exaggerating because I was on a podcast. But he didn't say [8:08] that and said he, he doubled down saying that what he said was true. He doubled down on saying [8:13] that he never saw Jeffrey Epstein ever again. But then he admitted he saw him two more times [8:17] and he even went to the island and he doesn't remember why he went to the island. Just to be [8:21] clear, he, he did not say today in front of Congress that he didn't see Jeffrey Epstein after 2005, [8:28] right? He said that, yes, I saw him two more times, but I was never in the same room with him. I, [8:34] Howard Lutnick, what didn't put myself in the situation to be in the same room with him, [8:38] which was really confusing, right? Because he was in the same room with him. [8:42] It's, it's odd because he's on this person's private island. [8:47] Yes. And we asked him, why did you go to the private island if he thought he was disgusting [8:52] or gross? And he says he doesn't remember. He doesn't remember why he brought his children [8:56] and his wife and his friends to the island when he visited the island. [9:00] You'd mentioned that podcast in which he'd describe some of his relations with Epstein. This was [9:06] from 2025 as a New York Post podcast. And he said that in 20, that in 2005, Epstein showed him and [9:12] his wife a massage room in his Manhattan townhouse, also making a suggestive comment to them. Epstein [9:18] did. Lutnick said to the podcast, quote, that's what his MO was, you know, get a massage, get a massage. [9:24] And what happened in that room, I assume, was on video. This guy was the greatest blackmailer ever. [9:31] Blackmail people. That's how he made his money. Lutnick said later in the podcast that he had no [9:36] knowledge of a trade for these videos, that this is his assumption. I wonder what evidence you may [9:42] have seen what Lutnick said about this, but what evidence you may have seen that Epstein profited [9:48] from having dirt on powerful people. We asked Lutnick about this, why he would say that. And [9:53] he says he was simply on a podcast speculating. He called everything else in that podcast speculation. [10:00] And so we asked him, what was the speculation based on? And he said, oh, just based on things [10:04] that I had heard. And so we asked whether he still thinks that blackmail was involved with Jeffrey [10:09] Epstein, blackmailing other people. He said, no, I don't think that anymore. And we said, why? [10:12] It's because the administration says it's not blackmail anymore. So he's clearly getting talking [10:16] points from the administration on what to be saying at this point. He was very well coached, [10:21] I will say. But then when we kept pressing him, that's when he got nervous, he got evasive, [10:26] and he started trying to redefine the word I. And so it was a very, very confusing interview [10:31] and dishonest in my mind. So this was not taped. How do you think that impacts how the American [10:38] people are going to receive this? Because they effectively have to take your word over [10:42] the word of Chairman Comer, who's saying that he clarified the misstatements in the past and whatnot. [10:47] How do you think the public is set to receive that? I now understand why Republicans didn't [10:51] want this taped, because if the president himself had seen this, he would want Howard Lutnick out. [10:56] He was absolutely he looked awful. I mean, he just kept spinning himself in circles. He just didn't [11:01] know what to say at certain points, except that he couldn't remember. And so it was very embarrassing. [11:06] I understand why now. But the American people deserve the transparency. House Republicans [11:10] continue to try to get in the way of actually doing a real investigation. This is one example, [11:16] not taping this investigation. Before we go, Congressman, [11:18] with a very short amount of time, you're set to hear from Attorney General, [11:23] former Attorney General Pam Bondi at the end of the month. What do you plan to ask her? [11:26] Well, first of all, we want that taped. We want that on the record. We want her being sworn in, [11:30] because that's what the subpoena said. But the reality is she has a lot of questions to answer [11:35] about why there's so many files withheld right now, two and a half million files, [11:38] and what her conversations with the president were like to lead to the decision not to release [11:42] the files in the first place.