Alex Acosta, the former U.S. attorney who brokered Jeffrey Epstein's 2008 plea deal, denied any knowledge of Epstein's alleged intelligence ties during a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee.
On Friday the committee published full transcript Acosta's Sept. 19 deposition, which is part of an ongoing investigation into how federal prosecutors handled the cases of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Representative of the New Mexico Democratic Party. Melanie Stansbury pressed Acosta on whether he believed Epstein had ties to U.S. or foreign intelligence agencies. This theory has been circulating around the lenient treatment of financiers for years. (RELATED: Alex Acosta Finally Reveals Why He Offered Epstein a Plea Deal)
“Steve Bannon has publicly stated that you told him that Epstein was, quote, 'intelligence.' Do you remember ever talking to Steve Bannon about Jeffrey Epstein?” Stansbury asked. Acosta responded that he “doesn't recall ever talking to Bannon about Epstein.”
BOMB: Transcript of Acosta's speech just DESTROYED the Democrats' smears of Epstein and Trump.
Ranking Member Garcia and @OversightDems have spent months promoting LIES against President Trump.
🧵 Here are the receipts they don't want you to see:
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) October 17, 2025
Stansbury asked Acosta if he had ever spoken to former White House strategist Steve Bannon. Acosta confirmed yes, but Epstein was never discussed.
“I didn’t know if it was the source of the anonymous quote from the White House,” Acosta said, referring to the allegation that Epstein had ties to intelligence agencies. “I've been asked that. I didn't know where it came from. I'll take your word for it that it came from Mr. Bannon, but I don't know where it came from. I've never made that claim.”
Acosta said he has consistently denied those rumors, including during a press conference and in an interview with the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, reiterating that he “does not know whether he was or was not a member of the intelligence community.”
Rumors about Acosta's past remarks resurfaced in July when a reporter asked Attorney General Pam Bondi during a Cabinet meeting whether Epstein was an intelligence agent. The question referred to an alleged statement attributed to Acosta, who served as Labor Secretary during the first Trump administration.
“I don't know anything about that. We can answer you on that,” Bondi said.
During his testimony, Stansbury asked Acosta to confirm whether he ever referred to Epstein as “being part of the intelligence community.” Acosta replied, “No.” When asked if anyone from the intelligence community contacted him during the Epstein investigation, Acosta replied, “No.”
Stansbury asked if anyone from the CIA, NSA, State Department or FBI intelligence division had ever contacted him about Epstein. Acosta said no to each agency.
She then pressed further, asking whether Epstein might have ties to any foreign intelligence services, including Israel's Mossad.
“Again, I don’t know if he did it or not,” Acosta said. “If you want to know, you need to ask the intelligence community. I have not been approached by any member of the intelligence community, and I have no knowledge of their membership in the intelligence community.”
3/ Did Trump appoint Acosta because of Epstein? No.
– Not in the slightest degree, no. (page 124)
Did Trump ask Acosta to resign? No.
“[It] was my choice. No one in the White House asked me to resign.” (page 124)
This whole talking point was manufactured by the Democrats. pic.twitter.com/tehpEVa2la
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) October 17, 2025
Stansbury then asked Acosta if he had any reason to believe Epstein “was an asset for a domestic or foreign intelligence operation.”
“And if there was any protected information, procedures would be put in place that were never run,” Acosta responded.
Finally, Stansbury asked if anyone had ever told him that Epstein couldn't be prosecuted because he was an “asset.” Acosta said, “Nobody came to me and said that.”
The transcript ends that conversation with a redacted name, noting, “We can stop recording. Thank you.”
