“A mysterious orange blob?”

A mysterious orange blur on Jeffrey Epstein’s final recognized jail footage has reignited conspiracy theories and sparked a wave of “orange blob” jokes.

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In new surveillance video reviewed by CBS News, an orange blob seems climbing the steps towards Epstein’s cell block simply earlier than his loss of life. The timestamp reveals the motion occurred round 10:40 p.m. on August 9, 2019. That is the evening earlier than the convicted intercourse trafficker was discovered useless in his Metropolitan Correctional Center cell.

Federal officers have lengthy claimed the blob was a corrections officer holding clothes or linen. However, forensic specialists now say it appears extra like an individual sporting an orange jumpsuit much like these issued to inmates.

CBS News’ investigation raised contemporary doubts concerning the Department of Justice’s official model of occasions. Notably, the video seems to be a display screen recording, full with a visual laptop cursor and menu bar. There’s additionally an unexplained soar within the footage shortly earlier than midnight, and the video’s side ratio immediately shifts.

More troubling, in keeping with specialists, is how a lot of the stairwell and cell entrance stays exterior the digicam’s subject of view. That instantly contradicts federal claims that cameras would have captured anybody coming into or leaving Epstein’s space.

“To say that there’s no way that someone could get to that, the stairs up to his room, without being seen is false,” mentioned forensic video analyst Jim Safford. Other specialists interviewed by CBS backed that evaluation.

Conor McCourt, a retired NYPD sergeant and video specialist, mentioned it’s way more possible the orange form is an individual in uniform, somewhat than somebody carrying laundry. Still, regardless of these pink flags, the Office of the Inspector General stood by its conclusion that Epstein’s loss of life was a suicide attributable to hanging.

DOJ officers additionally maintained there was no tampering with the video and no proof of foul play. “Nothing in its analysis changed or modified the OIG’s conclusions or recommendations,” the company mentioned in a press release to CBS.

The web thinks the ‘blob’ appears awfully acquainted

While specialists debated the footage, the web shortly latched onto one particular element: the orange blob itself. Users throughout social media joked that the blurry form resembled President Donald Trump in an orange jumpsuit. Others hinted that it was a physique double going to exchange Epstein in his cell whereas the convicted felon escaped.

“The jokes write themselves,” one submit on X learn. Others joked that the blob was Epstein’s “final visitor.”

“Agent orange,” one individual tweeted with a neon GIF of Trump.

While the orange blur is sort of actually a jumpsuit, that hasn’t stopped the web from operating with the Trump idea.

One individual merely wrote, “Clearly Trump did it after all.”

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