Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico says Congress is far from finished with its work on the Jeffrey Epstein case — and she isn’t mincing words about what she believes was a long-running cover-up. In a recent interview, Stansbury described hours of questioning former Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, the man who brokered Epstein’s infamous plea deal more than 15 years ago.
Glaring Inconsistencies
January 10, 2024; Washington, D.C.,USA; Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) during The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing to Markup: 1 H.Res. Recommending that the House of Representatives find Robert Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
What she heard, she said, left her convinced that the government still hasn’t been fully honest about why Epstein escaped the kind of federal prosecution that might have kept him behind bars for life. “Even with 20 years to practice his answers, the inconsistencies were glaring,” she said. “There were more than 40 minors who accused Epstein of rape and sexual assault. His own line prosecutors recommended federal charges. And he chose not to pursue them. That’s not just a mistake — that’s a decision.”
Stansbury Believes Acosta Was Rewarded For the Epstein Plea Deal
U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., speaks to reporters in the rain outside the Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, N.M. on Monday, March 21, 2022, after the private contractor CoreCivic, which manages the center, ordered journalists off the property. Corecivic5
Stansbury’s frustration echoes a broader sense of disbelief that has followed the Epstein scandal since 2008, when the wealthy financier secured a plea deal that saw him serve just over a year in a Florida jail, much of it on work release. At the time, Acosta was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Years later, he was appointed Secretary of Labor under Donald Trump — a move that critics argue symbolized the rewards of keeping powerful men comfortable.
Was Someone “Babysitting” Acosta?
Mar 22, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Alexander Acosta testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee during a hearing on his nomination to be Secretary of Labor in Washington. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
During the interview, Stansbury said Acosta repeatedly leaned on a 2020 Department of Justice internal review — conducted during the Trump administration — that cleared him of “wrongdoing.” He carried a binder, she noted, and each time questions got pointed, he deflected back to that document. “He provided no real answers about what he did or why he did it,” she said. More troubling to her was who sat next to Acosta during the questioning: his personal attorney, a Palm Beach lawyer who also represented Paul Manafort in Trump-era corruption cases. The attorney intervened often, according to Stansbury, which she said only deepened the impression that Acosta was being protected. “It raises questions — was he babysitting him? Was Trump’s orbit still shaping his answers?”
Listen to the Victims
The congresswoman didn’t shy away from the human toll. “I don’t know how any human being could hear that 40 children were abused and not feel remorse 20 years later,” she said. “He was directly responsible for not prosecuting those crimes, and because of that, hundreds of other women were abused in the years that followed.”
Stansbury Knows Something Happened
U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury addresses the joint session of the New Mexico House and Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, on the House Floor at the New Mexico State Capitol building. Nm Legislature Day One
Stansbury said investigators have evidence that Acosta met privately with Epstein’s attorneys. She said, “We don’t know if he was bribed, promised something, or threatened. But we do know something was happening behind the scenes.”
