Former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who as a federal prosecutor brokered Jeffrey Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal, is again under scrutiny after denying claims that Epstein had ties to U.S. or foreign intelligence agencies. The denials came during a closed-door House Oversight Committee interview on September 19, newly released in full on Friday.

Acosta’s testimony sought to address a long-circulating theory that Epstein’s unusually lenient treatment was due to his supposed status as an “intelligence asset.” The claim — reportedly linked to a comment Acosta allegedly made while serving in the Trump administration — has fueled speculation about whether Epstein’s protection reached into government or intelligence circles.

During questioning by Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Acosta denied ever suggesting that Epstein “belonged to intelligence,” a phrase that has become central to the ongoing public debate over Epstein’s political connections.

“I did not know if that was the source of that anonymous White House quote,” Acosta said. “I’ve been asked about that. I didn’t know where it came from. I’ll take your word it came from Mr. [Steve] Bannon, but I don’t know where it came from. I never made that assertion.”

Acosta further testified that he never spoke to Steve Bannon about Epstein, and that no one from the CIA, NSA, State Department, or FBI’s intelligence division ever contacted him during the Epstein investigation. He maintained that he had “no knowledge” of whether Epstein was tied to intelligence agencies — domestic or foreign.

When asked whether anyone had told him Epstein couldn’t be prosecuted because he was “an asset,” Acosta said flatly: “No one approached me and said that.”

The theory that Epstein was protected by intelligence agencies dates back to his 2008 plea deal, which allowed him to avoid serious federal charges despite evidence of trafficking underage girls. Acosta, then the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, approved the agreement — one critics have described as a “sweetheart deal.”

The speculation intensified in 2019, when a report by the Daily Beast claimed that Acosta told Trump transition officials Epstein “belonged to intelligence” and that he had been told to “leave it alone.” Acosta denied making that remark at the time, calling it “categorically false.”

Still, the story has persisted. Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon was later said to have repeated the “intelligence” claim, reportedly attributing it to Acosta — though, as the new transcript shows, Acosta denied ever discussing Epstein with Bannon.

The Trump administration’s handling of Epstein-related questions has often drawn attention — particularly given Epstein’s past ties to Trump himself. Trump and Epstein were known to socialize in Palm Beach in the 1990s, and Trump once famously called Epstein a “terrific guy” who “likes beautiful women… on the younger side.”

However, Trump later claimed to have cut off contact with Epstein, saying he was “not a fan.”

In July 2025, speculation about Epstein’s supposed intelligence connections resurfaced when Attorney General Pam Bondi — serving in the current Trump cabinet — was asked about the allegation during a public meeting. When questioned whether Epstein might have been an intelligence asset, Bondi replied, “I have no knowledge about that. We can get back to you on that.”

Her noncommittal response reignited speculation, leading to renewed scrutiny of Acosta’s earlier comments and fueling public demands for more transparency regarding Epstein’s network and possible protection from prosecution.

Despite Acosta’s denials, his testimony underscores how questions surrounding Epstein’s connections remain unresolved years after the financier’s death in federal custody. The Oversight Committee’s transcript offers no evidence of intelligence involvement — but also no definitive explanation for why Epstein received such favorable treatment in 2008.

Critics argue that Acosta’s responses continue a pattern of ambiguity that has characterized official statements about Epstein across multiple administrations — including Trump’s.

While Acosta insists he had no knowledge of any intelligence ties, the persistence of the theory — and its reappearance in Trump-era discourse — shows how the Epstein case continues to haunt Washington’s political and intelligence circles.

As one Democratic committee staffer noted off-record, “The problem is that every denial seems to raise new questions. The Epstein story has never really been closed.”

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

By CBS News. The federal investigation into the death of convicted sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was marred by significant lapses, experts told CBS News, including the failure by investigators to interview potential witnesses, properly preserve certain evidence and run basic forensic tests.

Nearly two years passed before investigators interviewed the two key corrections officers on duty the night Epstein died in his cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown New York City, in what was later ruled a suicide, according to court documents. One of those officers was the only person to attest to seeing Epstein hanging by a bedsheet from his bunk.

And details pulled from 90 photos of the cell and other evidence collected in the hours after Epstein’s death — but before FBI agents arrived to process the scene — appear to show a succession of basic oversights, ranging from an absence of evidence markers to items being moved, experts told CBS News.

“The FBI literally has all of the best tools. I mean, spared no expense. They have every tool you can imagine. And they used none of it as far as we can tell,” forensic analyst Nick Barreiro said after reviewing the photos, many of which have never been published. “How are there not way more people pointing out the absurdity of this?”

The images were previously obtained by 60 Minutes. After the recent release of surveillance video from the night Epstein died, which appeared to show details that contradicted official reports, CBS News reviewed them and other documents with several forensic experts. (Read more from “In Cell Where Jeffrey Epstein Died, a Scene of Disarray That Never Underwent Thorough Inspection, Experts Said” HERE)

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Epstein bank records sought by top House Democrat from Jamie Dimon, other CEOs

By CNBC. A top House Democrat asked four major bank CEOs to share a slew of financial records related to Jeffrey Epstein, pushing forward an investigation into the notorious sex predator, after the lawmaker’s effort to subpoena the banks for the documents was blocked by Republicans.

House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., in letters to the CEOs obtained by CNBC, asked how Epstein and his co-conspirators could have conducted a reported $1.5 billion in suspicious transactions “for years without ever being caught.” . . .

The letters came as the Trump administration continues to face pressure — from Democrats and from some of President Donald Trump’s Republican supporters — over its handling of matters related to Epstein.

The wealthy financier and sex offender, who was once a friend of Trump’s, died by suicide while in jail facing federal child sex trafficking charges in 2019.

In his letters, Raskin bluntly asked each CEO if their bank will “help reveal the truth” about Epstein and his co-conspirators, or if they would “choose to be part of the cover-up for this massive, international sex trafficking ring that victimized more than 1,000 women and girls?” (Read more from “Epstein bank records sought by top House Democrat from Jamie Dimon, other CEOs” HERE)