AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
House Democrats were outraged that former U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta defended his decision Friday not to prosecute sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, but to let him take a 2008 plea deal instead. That deal involved Epstein pleading guilty to lesser state charges of soliciting prostitution rather than face federal sex trafficking charges.
Acosta gave closed-door testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Friday as it investigates Epstein, who was friends with President Donald Trump.
During a break in Friday’s testimony, Democratic lawmakers described Acosta’s testimony as “defiant,” “unremorseful” and “evasive,” according to The Miami Herald.
They described how Acosta claimed “Epstein’s victims weren’t credible — and that he didn’t believe that their stories of sexual assault would lead to a successful federal prosecution.”
Acosta “essentially said he didn’t have faith in the victims, their stories and their ability to tell their own story and their own testimony, which is deeply disturbing to all of us sitting in there,” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) said during the break.
“The hearing, held by the House Oversight Committee, is the latest in a series of efforts by Congress to scrutinize how the late financier managed to get away with abusing girls and young women over more than two decades — despite Epstein being on the FBI’s radar since 2006,” The Herald reported.
In a statement, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said that 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.”
“There was a clear lack of remorse,” said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA). “This is someone who should at least acknowledge that he made a mistake … his memory faded whenever we asked pointed questions.”
Epstein committed suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on the state charges. His friend and accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year sentence in Texas for her role in the sex trafficking scheme.
“This information will guide our next steps as we work to bring accountability, and we expect to announce new action soon,” Comer’s statement said. “We will also release the transcript of Mr. Acosta’s interview to ensure transparency for the American people.”
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