New developments in the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein investigation — as the House Oversight Committee has released a fresh batch of files revealing new details about the disgraced financier’s criminal network and the officials connected to his controversial plea deal.
Among the newly published materials — a 172-page transcript of former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta’s closed-door interview with House investigators. Acosta, who served under former President Donald Trump, was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida in 2008 — when he approved Epstein’s now-infamous plea agreement.
That deal allowed Epstein to serve just 13 months in a Florida jail on two state-level prostitution charges — despite dozens of underage victims alleging a global sex-trafficking operation involving girls as young as 14.
During his testimony, Acosta defended his actions, telling lawmakers that, quote, “a billionaire going to jail sends a strong signal to the community that this is not right, that this cannot happen.” He went on to say that requiring Epstein to register as a sex offender “put the world on notice.”
But House Democrats sharply criticized Acosta’s remarks after the transcript’s release.
In a statement, Sara Guerrero, a spokesperson for Oversight Democrats, accused Acosta of “continuing to deny giving Jeffrey Epstein a sweetheart deal,” adding that his leniency “allowed Epstein to continue assaulting young women for another decade.”
The committee’s document release also included letters from former Attorneys General Eric Holder and Merrick Garland, and former FBI Director James Comey, each stating they had no knowledge or involvement in Epstein’s case.
Other names surfacing in the released files include Prince Andrew and Elon Musk — both of whom have denied wrongdoing.
Former President Donald Trump is also mentioned, though he’s long claimed he severed ties with Epstein after an incident at his Mar-a-Lago resort, calling Epstein a “creep.”
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, bipartisan pressure is mounting to make all Justice Department files on Epstein public. Representatives Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, and Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, are leading that charge.
The two lawmakers are just one signature away from forcing the release through a discharge petition, but procedural delays have held it up. Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva has pledged to sign the petition once she’s sworn in — though her ceremony has been postponed by House Speaker Mike Johnson amid the ongoing government shutdown.
Johnson insists the delay is “not related to the Epstein petition,” saying Grijalva will be sworn in “when the House returns to session.”
As Congress continues to demand answers, the newly unsealed Epstein documents raise further questions about how one of the most notorious sex trafficking cases in modern history was handled — and who may have helped keep its secrets buried for so long.
Reporting by Katy Moore.
