By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta faced tough questions behind closed doors on Capitol Hill about the controversial plea deal he struck with Jeffrey Epstein nearly two decades ago.
“This is going to be a pretty hard-hitting deposition,” said House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.). “This is the most extensive investigation of Epstein to date.”
On Friday, the Oversight Committee dove into what’s been dubbed a “sweetheart deal” — the 2008 agreement that let Jeffrey Epstein avoid a federal trial and serve just 13 months in prison, despite evidence he abused underage girls.
That deal was negotiated by Acosta, the former U.S. attorney in Southern Florida — and former Labor secretary who served during President Trump’s first term, before he resigned in 2019 once the plea deal came back under the spotlight.
“It’s very clear that Alex Acosta ran a deeply flawed investigation of the Epstein case,” said Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.). “He would not admit, and in fact, stands by the decision to have given Mr. Epstein a sweetheart deal, which was only 18 months, and which during that time he went on to abuse multiple women that he raped during that time,” Garcia added.
Behind closed doors, Democrats say Acosta stood firm on his past decisions, leading them to question his judgment and credibility.
“It doesn’t seem like either Mr. Acosta was equipped to be the U.S. attorney at that time or he’s just playing in our faces. I haven’t really figured out which one, but neither one of these ultimate conclusions should be okay for the American people,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX).
Chairman Comer said the deposition and the committee’s ongoing investigation is a far better approach than the separate discharge petition being led by fellow Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie and House Democrats.
The petition would force a vote on legislation requiring the Justice Department to release all the files.
“We’re so far past what the discharge petition was wanting to do. It’s not even a factor now,” said Comer. “It’s very disappointing that the Democrats have just so politicized this. You know, Joe Biden had four years where he could have released the Epstein documents.”
Thomas Massie’s petition to force a vote on releasing all Epstein files has backing from every Democrat and four Republicans. The White House and most Republicans oppose it, but with upcoming Democratic vacancies soon to be filled, the numbers could shift — making a full House vote possible this fall.
Comer released a statement following the deposition Friday that read: “We owe it to the survivors to follow the facts, not politics. While we want this investigation to be bipartisan, Democrats are attempting to manufacture yet another false narrative about President Trump, as they have done in the past. To be clear: former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr has stated there is no evidence of wrongdoing by President Trump. We call on Democrats to end these distractions and instead focus on what truly matters: transparency and accountability.”
After the deposition, the Oversight Committee also provided key takeaways from the transcribed interview:
- “Acosta stated that he never met Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell and that his decision to resign as U.S. Secretary of Labor in 2019 was entirely his own
- According to Mr. Acosta, a key issue in the U.S. Southern District of Florida’s handling of the Epstein case was whether it should be prosecuted federally or locally. Mr. Acosta also referenced a statement from the lead prosecutor outlining evidentiary issues that could jeopardize a conviction if the case went to trial
- Mr. Acosta expressed concern that if the case had gone to trial and prosecutors lost, it would have sent the message that Epstein had escaped accountability and could continue committing offenses
- Mr. Acosta stated his office received multiple assurances that Jeffrey Epstein would not be allowed on work release yet somehow Palm Beach County allowed it to happen. Mr. Acosta later stated that had the U.S. Attorney’s Office known the state would allow Epstein to go on work release and fail to address or prosecute the case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Mr. Acosta would not have agreed to returning it to the state level
- Mr. Acosta confirmed that he never saw President Trump’s name on any document or any matter related to Jeffrey Epstein.”
