FBI PUBLIC AFFAIRS — DIRECTOR’S AM NEWS BRIEFING FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2019 5:00 AM EDT EFTA00161035

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Investigators “Trying To Unravel” Epstein Death Puzzle. In online coverage, (8/15, Perez, Morales, 83.16M) reports, “A confluence of missteps and what the Justice Department says were irregularities at the Manhattan Correctional Center have created a puzzle that FBI investigators are still trying to unravel” as they seek to determine what led to the recent death of Jeffrey Epstein, who is believed to have taken his own life while being held in that facility. Eric Young, “national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents Bureau of Prisons employees, said employees should be given immunity from criminal prosecution” as the FBI and the Justice Inspector General investigate Epstein’s death Autopsy Shows Epstein Had Neck Bone Break Often Seen In Strangulation. All three broadcast networks reported on the news that an autopsy shows that Jeffrey Epstein had multiple broken bones in his neck at the time of his death. On (8/15, story 3, 2:00, Muir, 6.28M), Whit Johnson reported that “a broken hyoid bone in his neck...can be associated with strangulation or sometimes suicide. Sources say Epstein hanged himself with a bed sheet, but authorities are not yet releasing an official cause of death.” On (8/15, story 3, 2:30, Holt, 5.38M), Stephanie Gosk reported, “The hyoid is U-shaped, and in older men can fracture more easily, especially in cases of hanging, blunt trauma, and manual strangulation. Medical experts say it is not on its own a conclusive way to determine cause of death.” The (8/15, story 5, 1:50, O'Donnell, 3.65M) showed Lawrence Kobilinsky, a forensic science professor at the John Jay College Of Criminal Justice, saying, “Does it necessarily point to a suicide? No. Does it point to a homicide? No. But it gives the medical examiner a little more information about exactly what the manner of death is.” The (8/15, Leonnig, Davis, 14.2M) reports, “Such breaks can occur in those who hang themselves, particularly if they are older. ... But they are more common in victims of homicide by strangulation." The Post says “the details add to the bizarre circumstances surrounding Epstein's death, which have launched a wave of questions and conspiracy theories about how he could have died in federal custody.” The (8/15, Paybarah, Rashbaum, 18.61M) cites similar expert comment in its report. (8/15, Freifeld) reports that a “law enforcement source...familiar with the Epstein case said there was no evidence or suggestion of foul play but cautioned the investigation was at an early stage." (8/15, Stanglin, 10.31M) reports, “The FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general are investigating the circumstances around Epstein's death. He was found unresponsive in his cell at the high-security detention center in Manhattan on Saturday and was pronounced dead at a New York hospital.” (8/15, Mangan, Breuninger, 3.62M) reports, “Epstein’s demise on Saturday in the federal lockup was originally suspected of being the result of suicide by hanging," but “it remains under investigation by the FBI and the Office of the Inspector General of the Justice Department,” and “the New York City medical examiner's office has yet to rule on the cause and manner of’ Epstein’s death. EFTA00161038

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The Hill (8/15, Axelrod, 2.98M) reports, "Republican Sens. Ron Johnson (Wis.) and Chuck Grassley (lowa) on Thursday called on Attorney General William Barr to make public the results of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s death." Barr “announced Saturday that he had directed the FBI and the DOJ inspector general (IG) to investigate Epstein's apparent suicide at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Manhattan over the weekend, which came while he awaited trial on sex trafficking and abuse charges. ‘We fully support your call for a thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Epstein's death. True accountability, however, especially for the victims of Mr. Epstein, requires full transparency,’ Johnson and Grassley wrote in a letter to the attorney general. ‘For that reason, we ask for your commitment to make the results of the FBI and IG investigations public as soon as they are completed,’ they added, also requesting the DOJ keep them apprised of any progress the investigation makes along the way.” Maxwell Owns “Exceptionally Secluded” Estate In Small Massachusetts Town. The Washington Post (8/15, Sellers, 14.2M) profiles the “tony seaside town" of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, home to about 5,300 people including Epstein’s “alleged co-conspirator’ Ghislaine Maxwell. The Post says the “wooded, waterfront estate” where Maxwell “apparently lived with a friend is exceptionally secluded - which perhaps explains its appeal to a woman alleged to have helped Epstein procure underage girls to perform erotic massages on him." Her “whereabouts have been something of a mystery for quite some time," though she was recently spotted in Los Angeles. EFTA00161039

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