House Republicans celebrated Friday after releasing the transcript of an interview between former U.S. attorney Alex Acosta and Congressional investigators. The release came as part of the ongoing House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein case, with the committee claiming the transcript provides evidence that President Donald Trump had no involvement in the case. The testimony, which occurred in September, indicated that Acosta never had any communication with Trump about Epstein, either in person, over the phone, or via email.
Rep. Robert Garcia, a Democrat on the Oversight Committee, pressed Acosta about whether he ever spoke to Trump during his time as U.S. attorney. Acosta clarified that he did not communicate with Trump before being considered for the position of Labor Secretary. When asked if Trump’s name appeared in any documents related to the Epstein case, Acosta said he did not recall any such instance. Meanwhile, Democratic officials, including spokesperson Sara Guerrero, criticized the testimony, suggesting it revealed a lack of contrition from Acosta for his role in the case. The Democrats argued that Acosta’s handling of the case allowed Epstein to continue victimizing women for years, and that the Republicans were attempting to spin the testimony in their favor.
Acosa, who served as U.S. attorney during the Epstein case, was involved in a deal that many argue enabled Epstein to continue his illicit activities. He resigned from his post as Labor Secretary in the first Trump administration amid renewed scrutiny of the case. According to his testimony, the resignation was his own decision and not due to pressure from the White House. The House Oversight Committee has been investigating the Epstein case for months, following a subpoena from a subcommittee that compelled the full committee chair, Rep. James Comer, to request documents from the Justice Department.
Epstein’s estate has provided materials to Congress, including a so-called birthday book that allegedly contained a note written by Trump for Epstein. Trump has denied any connection to the note and sued the Wall Street Journal for reporting on its existence. Democrats continue to suggest Trump is attempting to hide his longstanding relationship with Epstein. On Friday, the House Oversight Committee also released a new batch of documents received from Epstein’s estate, including his schedules. The documents list various powerful individuals with whom Epstein had dealings, including a proposed 2011 meeting with Tom Pritzker, a planned 2012 dinner with Woody Allen and his partner, Soon-Yi Previn, and a scheduled 2013 dinner with former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Larry Summers.