The former U.S. attorney infamously negotiated a non-prosecution agreement with Jeffrey Epstein nearly two decades ago.
Former U.S. Attorney for South Florida Alexander Acosta finally got a chance to explain his infamous decision to enter into a non-prosecution agreement with deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaking to the House Oversight Committee, Acosta testified that a lack of victim cooperation with the prosecution would have made the trial a “crapshoot” and cited statements from several people involved with the case to defend his assessment.
“And so in part it was influenced by that, and in large part it was also influenced by the viability of the case. Every attorney that looked at the case, from the prosecuting attorney, again, through the entire chain, looked at the evidence, and there were evidentiary issues with the victims,” Acosta explained, according to a transcript released Friday.
“Many victims refused to testify. Many victims had changing stories. All of us understood why they had changing stories, but they did. And defense counsel would have — cross-examination would have been withering,” he added.
Acosta went on to explain how the laws in Florida at the time could have led to victims being prosecuted for suspected involvement in Epstein’s activities. But he made clear that his office viewed the victims solely as such and did not believe they had any other role in Epstein’s activities.
“And, ultimately, the trial was a crapshoot, and we just wanted the guy to go to jail,” Acosta asserted.
Acosta testified behind closed doors in September for the Oversight Committee’s investigation into Epstein’s sex trafficking and the government’s files related to it.
Infamously, Acosta negotiated a non-prosecution agreement with Epstein when federal authorities were investigating him for sex crimes in Florida. Epstein ended up getting convicted on state-level charges in 2008 and served a short jail stint, most of which he spent in work release.
The work release was not something Acosta expected to happen when negotiating the deal. Acosta testified that he had “assurances” Epstein would face “continuous confinement” and said he was not even notified about the work release when it happened.
“It was not what we thought. All of us were upset about it. If we thought he would have been put out on work release, it would have looked really different,” Acosta said.
During the Epstein case, a line prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office went to work for Epstein, Acosta recalled. He did not know whether the prosecutor, Bruce Reinhart, played any role in the Epstein investigation. Reinhart’s ties to Epstein garnered attention in 2022 because of his role in approving the FBI’s raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. Reinhart is now a federal judge in Palm Beach.
The Acosta interview transcript was one of several documents the Oversight Committee released Friday. The panel disclosed statements from former Attorneys General Merrick Garland and Eric Holder and former FBI Director James Comey saying they have no knowledge of the Epstein case that could be useful for the committee’s investigation. Additionally, the Oversight Committee released more documents from Epstein’s estate.
One of the lead Epstein prosecutors, Matthew Menchel, had dinners and meetings with Epstein after leaving the South Florida U.S. attorney’s office, the Miami Herald reported based on the newly released documents. Acosta was asked about apparent photos of Menchel skiing with Epstein and testified that he was unaware of it. Menchel told the Herald that he never skied with Epstein but did not deny the meetings. The Oversight Committee did not release the alleged photos.
After his jail stint, Epstein relocated to the U.S. Virgin Islands and continued his sex trafficking until renewed interest in the case a decade later led to a federal prosecution. Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His untimely death in a New York City jail cell has been ruled a suicide. Many observers have voiced skepticism over the official conclusion, particularly because of Epstein’s powerful connections.
Acosta later worked in the first Trump administration as secretary of labor. He resigned in 2019 during the time of renewed public interest in Epstein’s sexual abuse. Acosta insisted that the resignation was his decision and not something the White House pressured him into. He said he did not want to become a distraction for the administration.
When confronted by Representative Melanie Stansbury (D., N.M.), Acosta shot down the possibility Trump could have been implicated in Epstein’s crimes during his 15-year-long friendship with Epstein in the late 1990s and mid 2000s.
“I have no knowledge that any person spoke to Donald Trump with respect to Epstein. I have no knowledge of Donald Trump’s name appearing in any Epstein document. I have no knowledge of Donald Trump being associated with the Epstein investigation in any way. I am not saying that it wasn’t, because I can’t speak on behalf of the many, many attorneys and case agents involved. I can simply say that I have no knowledge of that,” Acosta said.
“And let me also say, I think if there was, I think it’s pretty spectacular it hasn’t leaked by now. But that’s just speculation.”
Acosta’s statements echo those made to the Oversight Committee by former Attorney General Bill Barr, who also worked in the first Trump administration. Barr said he saw no evidence implicating Trump in Epstein’s misdeeds, as NR previously reported. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection to his friendship with Epstein.
Earlier in his testimony, Acosta said Epstein never came up during the confirmation process to become labor secretary. He also stated that had never spoken to Trump before he was being considered for the job.
The Oversight Committee’s investigation began earlier this year after the Trump administration refused to release the federal government’s files related to Epstein. The administration’s lack of transparency drew widespread outrage and brought Epstein’s misbehavior back into the news cycle.
Epstein’s victims have called for maximum transparency and backed a congressional push to compel the federal government to release the Epstein files.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) promised to release the Acosta transcript last month for the sake of transparency.
“Alex Acosta cooperated with our questions today and provided information that will help advance our investigation into the federal government’s handling of the Epstein and Maxwell cases,” Comer said last month, referring to Epstein’s longtime accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
“This information will guide our next steps as we work to bring accountability, and we expect to announce new action soon. We will also release the transcript of Mr. Acosta’s interview to ensure transparency for the American people,” Comer added.
Disappointing many MAGA faithful, the Trump administration concluded Epstein committed suicide and did not have a “client list” of associates implicated in his schemes. The administration also determined that Epstein did not use his sex trafficking to blackmail his elite connections in politics and business.
Trump has dismissed the Epstein files as a “hoax” concocted by Democrats and sued the Wall Street Journal for reporting on a 2003 letter he sent Epstein for the latter’s 50th birthday. Trump insists the letter is fake and repeatedly attacked the Journal for first reporting on it.
The Oversight Committee released the letter last month as part of a batch of files it retrieved from Epstein’s estate. Acosta’s non-prosecution agreement with Epstein was among the files.