Former U.S. attorney Alex Acosta, who was involved in brokering Jeffrey Epstein’s 2008 plea deal, asserted that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s alleged connections to the intelligence community during a closed session with the House Oversight Committee.
The committee announced this on Friday. Acosta’s testimony from September 19 is part of an ongoing investigation into how federal prosecutors managed the cases of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. During the session, Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury from New Mexico inquired about Acosta’s views on Epstein’s links to both U.S. and foreign intelligence agencies—a theory that has circulated, partly due to the financier’s relatively lenient treatment by the legal system.
Stansbury referenced Steve Bannon, who reportedly stated that Acosta told him Epstein “belongs to the intelligence community.” She asked Acosta if he recalled discussing Epstein with Bannon. Acosta replied, “I don’t remember ever talking to Mr. Bannon about Epstein.”
Stansbury followed up, confirming that Acosta had indeed spoken with Bannon, but asserted that Epstein wasn’t part of their discussions.
Acosta expressed uncertainty about the origin of anonymous White House comments suggesting Epstein’s ties to intelligence, stating, “I’ve been asked about it. I didn’t know where it came from. I’ll take Mr. Bannon’s word that it came from, but I don’t know where it came from.” He maintained that he has always denied these rumors during press interactions and in front of the Justice Department, specifying that he has “no knowledge of whether or not I am a member of the intelligence community.”
The possibility of Acosta’s earlier remarks gained traction in July after a reporter quizzed Attorney General Pam Bondi during a Cabinet meeting about whether Epstein was an intelligence agent. Bondi admitted she was unaware of any related claims.
During the questioning, Stansbury requested that Acosta confirm if he had ever implied that Epstein was part of the intelligence community. Acosta’s response was a firm “Not at all.” When asked if any intelligence agencies had approached him regarding Epstein, Acosta answered “no” for each of the CIA, NSA, State Department, and FBI.
Stansbury also asked whether Epstein might have had connections to foreign intelligence agencies, such as Israel’s Mossad. Acosta reiterated, “Again, we don’t know if he did or didn’t,” adding that only the intelligence community could clarify such matters. He emphasized that he hadn’t been contacted by anyone from that sector regarding Epstein.
During another part of the questioning, Stansbury probed Acosta about whether he suspected Epstein was involved in any domestic or foreign intelligence operations. Acosta replied that if there had been any confidential information, it would have activated certain procedures that were not followed.
Finally, when asked if anyone had indicated to him that Epstein could not be prosecuted because he was an “asset,” Acosta firmly stated, “No one has ever come up to me and said that.” The testimony concluded with a remark about having an off-the-record conversation, the details of which are not disclosed.
