The Epstein case just took another turn — and not in the direction of justice.
Lawmakers are now accusing Trump labor secretary and former federal prosecutor Alex Acosta of being involved in a “clear coverup,” after a closed-door hearing Friday left members of Congress stunned and outraged.
Acosta was called to testify behind closed doors before the House Oversight Committee, where he was grilled over his 2007 plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein — the one that let the billionaire sex offender avoid federal charges, serve minimal jail time, and continue abusing young girls.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) didn’t hold back after the meeting. “Something fishy” was going on, he said in an interview with MSNBC.
Describing Acosta’s behavior as “defiant” and lacking “remorse,” Subramanyam accused him of dodging accountability and refusing to fully acknowledge the damage caused by the deal he personally approved.
“He told lawmakers that he didn’t know or remember what happened, and that he did not think the survivors were credible,” Subramanyam said.
That didn’t sit well with members in the room.
“It’s really hard to believe he didn’t know what was going on,” Subramanyam continued. “He was in charge of the case himself.”
According to him, Acosta’s memory was “faded” at best — and completely unreliable at worst.
“There’s a clear cover-up happening right now,” he said flatly.
Acosta, then the U.S. Attorney in South Florida, approved a non-prosecution agreement that shielded Epstein and several of his associates from federal charges. Epstein ended up serving just 13 months in county jail, and even that came with work-release privileges that allowed him to leave for 12 hours a day, six days a week.
Now, lawmakers are asking why Acosta’s deal was so soft — and whether powerful people were being protected.
“Six years later, he’s being nominated for Secretary of Labor,” Subramanyam said, pointing out that Epstein and Donald Trump were “close friends.”
Subramanyam praised the Epstein survivors who have come forward and urged Congress to “follow the money,” suggesting that Epstein used his wealth and trafficking ring to conduct shady business deals — the extent of which has yet to be uncovered.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) was equally blunt.
“Acosta is completely not credible, and he’s been clearly involved in the broader cover-up,” he said.
Garcia and other Democrats say the hearing only confirmed what many suspected: that the Epstein case was buried for reasons that still haven’t come to light — and Acosta was central to it.
Acosta did not take questions from reporters going into the hearing, and he left without comment. But inside the room, lawmakers say, he said more than enough — even if most of it was denials and memory lapses.
The message from House Democrats is now crystal clear: They’re not letting this go.
“We’re going to push every single button we can and we’re going to go where the facts lead us,” Subramanyam said.
And right now, those facts are pointing straight at a coverup.
Watch the video below from MSNBC:
