By On a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, host Joe Rogan and former CIA covert operative Mike Baker scrutinized the Justice Department’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s death, spotlighting a controversial cut in the prison video that once again reignited speculation over the case’s unresolved questions.
The footage, unveiled in an effort to quiet speculation of foul play, was presented as proof that no one entered Epstein’s cell before his officially recorded suicide. But multiple reports noted that the video contains a conspicuous “missing minute”—an unexplained gap that officials attributed to a routine reset in the prison’s outdated security system. Rather than settling doubts, the glitch has stoked deeper suspicion, particularly among Trump’s supporters, many of whom have long doubted the official narrative.
Critics have seized on the administration’s rollout of the footage, first detailed by Axios, as emblematic of a broader failure to bring transparency to a case long plagued by secrecy and mistrust. The administration’s assurances, they argue, have done little to close the credibility gap, especially with Rogan, who endorsed Trump in 2024, noted Mediate.
“Metadata from raw Epstein prison video shows approximately two minutes and 53 seconds were removed from one of the two stitched together clips,” Rogan said, referencing footage from the disgraced financier’s cell. “The cut starts off at the missing minute.” Baker’s reaction was immediate: “Wow.” Rogan replied dryly, “Yeah, shocker.”
The pair cast doubt on the official conclusion that Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Baker remarked, “Yeah, yeah. So a guy like that decides, yeah, he’s gonna off himself, again,” echoing long-standing skepticism among the public.
Rogan suggested that those behind the scenes may have failed to grasp the changed information environment. “These guys that are all involved in this… have this mentality that existed before the Internet,” he said. “You wouldn’t have all these psycho sleuths out there… especially guys who are tech wizards who can look at the metadata.”
Baker noted that public attention used to fade faster, but not anymore. “Well, shit died a lot quicker, you’re right,” he said. “Some people are saying… they’ve called the recess on Capitol Hill because they figured by the time they come back in September, everybody will have moved on from this. I think they are wrong.”
The former CIA officer likened the Epstein case to the JFK assassination—another enduring mystery in the American consciousness. “This feels like and just looks like… one of those handful of conspiracies… that’s just gonna hang around,” Baker said.
For Rogan, Epstein’s death became a symbol of dashed hopes for political accountability. “There’s a line in the sand,” he said. “This is one where… we thought Trump was gonna come in and… drain the swamp… and then they’re trying to gaslight you on that.”
The unresolved questions surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s death continue to fuel skepticism, particularly among Trump supporters who expected his administration to deliver transparency and accountability. The missing minute in the prison video, coupled with the Justice Department’s unconvincing explanations, has only deepened distrust from the president’s base while giving Democrats, who are deeply unpopular, a talking point that the White House is “defending pedophiles.”
NEW: Don’t let Republicans bury the truth about Trump and Epstein.
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— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) July 25, 2025
The tactics from the left and their media allies, were reponded to by Vice President J.D. Vance.
JUST IN: Vice President JD Vance unleashes on the media after an AP reporter asked him if the GOP is defending pedophiles.
Reporter: I guess I'm going to be that person… What are the reasons the U.S. government should shield the Epstein list?
Vance: “I got to make an… pic.twitter.com/GLZslhLX3P
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 28, 2025
Vance is right to be miffed. In 2023, for example, senior Democratic leader Dick Durbin shutdown a committee hearing when a Republican tried to reveal Epstein’s flight logs. The media mostly stayed silent.
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