Overview

• Alexander Acosta appeared for a transcribed deposition on Capitol Hill, declining to answer reporters’ questions as he entered for hours of questioning.
• Committee Chairman James Comer said the session would be rigorous and reiterated efforts to obtain full DOJ case files and Treasury financial reports tied to Epstein.
• The panel has released former Attorney General William Barr’s deposition and obtained batches of records from Epstein’s estate, though many DOJ documents made public so far were previously available.
• Democratic members emerging from the closed interview criticized Acosta as not credible and raised cover‑up concerns, alleging evasive answers and faded recollections.
• Acosta negotiated the 2008 agreement that gave Epstein a 13‑month sentence with work release, a deal the DOJ inspector general later labeled “poor judgment,” and FBI Director Kash Patel this week called the case’s “original sin.”