Malfunctioned in this case means that the system wasn't configured to record properly. You could watch it live on the monitor, but couldn't pull up the recordings. This was for two cameras, one of which the recordings were recoverable.

As to forcing his hand, probably. It's a hell of a lot easier to do, and the prime suspect for passing the message along would have been Epstein's own lawyer. All he would have to say is something along the lines of "you kill yourself, or they're going to pull strings and get you put in General Population again."

But notice that "again". See, he was in general population and had been attacked already. Then they put him on suicide watch, which is hellish on its own.

My theory is that Epstein killed himself while Trump and company were still scrambling to figure out what they were going to do, because they had no plans at all for that sort of situation. Because my real theory is that no one is actually good at what they do, they're all lying to themselves and each other about it, but that everyone, literally everyone on earth is generally some sort of fuckup, especially when shit comes out of nowhere. Like a powerful pedo who had fallen out of favor, showing that he was still a pedo and getting arrested for it.

I doubt anyone planned for that, they had mostly forgotten Epstein after getting him that sweetheart plea deal a decade or so earlier. A lot of rich and powerful people had quietly cut ties at that point.

They then wake up one day and hear that their old pal is in jail for more pedo shit, and they collectively shit themselves, but can't do anything overt because then they would be seen doing overt shit to cover their own asses, and that's almost as bad as Epstein talking.

I'm sure there were a bunch of hushed conversations in secluded rooms about doing something to make it go away, and then realizing that they didn't actually have any way to do so. And then Epstein killed himself anyway and saved them the trouble.

After all, he was extremely rich, and had been accustomed to being extremely rich. He went from silk sheets to sheets made by the lowest bidder. He went from palatial living, to living in a cell, with the rest of his life being in a cell, with beatings thrown in for measure. All because he was guilty as sin, and had a prior conviction. Even if he never talked, he was getting life imprisonment. And I'm betting he was selfish enough to take the easy way out, all on his own.