The House Oversight Committee Chair, Rep. James Comer (R-KY-01), signed off on subpoenas to question a list of people in connection with the Epstein case. The list includes top Democratic political figures and former attorneys-general. Yet, the list left out some individuals that many want to see questioned as well, including Alex Acosta. Acosta served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida when Jeffrey Epstein first faced legal consequences. Here’s why it matters for the Epstein case.

Alex Acosta is noticeably missing from the subpoena list issued by the House Oversight committee

The White House has been fighting a growing scandal around the release of the Epstein files. For months, leading Republican officials pushed back and attempted to steer the narrative away from releasing the files.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) called an early recess for the House of Representatives to avoid another vote to release the files to the public. However, a House Oversight subcommittee met before everyone left, and Democrats on the subcommittee forced a vote to subpoena the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the files and testimony from key figures.

Yesterday, Rep. Comer signed off on the subpoenas, which include the Clintons; former Attorneys General Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, William Barr, Merrick Garland, Jeff Sessions, and Alberto Gonzales; and former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller.

The Oversight Committee also subpoenaed the DOJ and FBI to release documents related to the Epstein case.

Missing from the list are President Donald Trump and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Alex Acosta. It has been reported that the DOJ told President Trump that he is listed in the files, and the FBI allegedly directed people to redact President Trump’s name from the files.

The omission of Acosta is signaling a lack of true transparency and truth seeking

Acosta’s name has become linked to the growing Epstein scandal that is plaguing the Trump administration. The former federal prosecutor is responsible for giving Epstein a “sweetheart” deal. Acosta gave Epstein a non-prosecution deal that shielded the financier from federal charges in connection with the alleged crimes. Instead, Epstein faced state prostitution charges, which came with less harsh punishments.

Epstein was convicted on two charges related to soliciting minors for prostitution and received an 18-month sentence in a county jail. He would end up serving just 13 months of the sentence and was given a work release deal that allowed him to be out of jail six days a week. The deal also gave immunity to Epstein’s unnamed co-conspirators.

Acosta defended the deal in 2019 when federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein with identical charges.

“The goal here was straightforward,” Acosta said during a press conference in 2019, according to Axios. “Put Epstein behind bars, ensure he registered as a sexual offender, provide victims with a means to seek restitution, and protect the public by putting them on notice that a sexual predator was within their midst.”

In 2020, the DOJ reviewed the Epstein case and determined that Acosta used “poor judgment” in giving Epstein the deal. The DOJ stopped short of calling the deal misconduct.

Trump and Epstein’s relationship is a major moment in pop culture right now

President Trump has attempted to distance himself from Epstein for years. However, the exact timeline of the breakdown in friendship is hard to pinpoint. It is also worth noting that President Trump has a habit of cozying up to people and then throwing them under a bus when it is politically expedient for him.

For example, President Trump was very close with his attorney Michael Cohen until the hush payment scandal of Stormy Daniels took over the news cycle. After the story became public gossip, President Trump quickly separated himself from Cohen and, according to the attorney, had him sent back to prison after his 2020 release because he was going to write a book about President Trump.

Recently, President Trump complained that part of the reason he stopped associating with Epstein was because he “stole” a teenager from the Mar-A-Lago spa. Yet, despite his claims that the relationship ended because Epstein was a “creep,” the two were close friends for more than a decade. There are photos of the two men at parties, on planes, and at other social gatherings engaged in playful conversations.

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