Alexander Acosta: "I was told Epstein 'belonged to intelligence' and to leave it alone."

[AntiFascist]

Could this explain why Blondi also had a change of heart?

Epstein's arrest and Acosta's resignation

On July 6, 2019, Epstein was arrested by the FBI-NYPD Crimes Against Children Task Force on sex trafficking charges stemming from activities alleged to have occurred in 2002–2005.[39]

Amid criticism of his mishandling of the Epstein case, Acosta resigned his role as Secretary of Labor effective July 19, 2019, after a public outcry.[40]

According to an internal review conducted by the Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility, which was released in November 2020, Acosta showed "poor judgment" in granting Epstein a non-prosecution agreement and failing to notify Epstein's alleged victims about this agreement.[41]

Crucially, when he was vetted for his cabinet post in the Trump administration, Acosta stated “I was told Epstein ‘belonged to intelligence’ and to leave it alone.”[42]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Acosta

[LaRaven]

1. Could it be Russian intelligence?

[AntiFascist]

3. This is interesting...

In addition, Epstein assured Belyakov of his faith in Russia’s great ideas and suggested various innovative solutions.

One of these was the so-called ‘new Bank’ that “could be modeled after a capitalistic commercial bank, lending 9 times its reserves NOT the world bank, those models are antiquated”, he proposed. Epstein also suggested launching an alternative to bitcoin known as BRIC and the possibility of providing loans worth ‘500 billion’ (though he did not specify the currency). Moreover, Epstein believed that Russia could create new currencies pegged to oil or develop ‘smart contracts’ regulated by computers. In addition, Epstein shared his views on the Russian economy with Belyakov. For example, when in December 2014 the Russian Central Bank raised its benchmark rate to 17 per cent, Epstein wrote: «Bad advice to raise rates. it sends the wrong sign.»

Epstein also offered Belyakov his help with securing guests for SPIEF, as many refused to come in light of the sanctions imposed on Russia following the annexation of Crimea. (Belyakov coordinated the Forum while still serving as Deputy Minister.) In turn, in July 2014, Belyakov helped with Epstein’s application for a Russian visa and was planning to set up meetings for him with the Deputy Finance Minister, Sergei Storchak, and the Central Bank Deputy Chairman, Alexei Simanovsky (or the Minister for Economic Development, Alexei Ulyukayev). Whether this visit by Epstein actually took place is unknown. In August 2014, however, Belyakov was fired from his ministerial post after publicly criticizing the government’s decision to extend the freezing of the investment part of state pensions. It was then that he became the head of the SPIEF Foundation.
...
The Dossier Center suspects that Sergei Belyakov could be the tip of the iceberg in the links between Russian elites and Jeffrey Epstein. If you have anything to contribute to our investigation, please get in touch:

https://dossier.center/jeffreyepsteinrusconnect-en/

Much more at the link.

[womanofthehills]

30. Israeli - many believe Ghislaine's father Robert Maxwell was involved in Epstein 's connection

At least that’s what all over social media this week.

Ghislaine’s father was Israeli intelligence.

[AntiFascist]

31. Likely a bad actor with multiple intelligence connections...

The Foreign Office suspected Maxwell of being a secret agent of a foreign government, possibly a double agent or a triple agent, and "a thoroughly bad character and almost certainly financed by Russia". He had known links to the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), to the Soviet KGB, and to the Israeli intelligence service Mossad.[58]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Maxwell

[RockRaven]

2. No, that is not a better explanation for Bondi's actions than

that she is protecting The Dotard and his ego.

[AntiFascist]

4. Trump and Bondi may be providing cover for the deepest, darkest aspects of what they would call the Deep State...

which is what has MAGA all up in arms.

[B.See]

5. MAGA's 'deep state' bs is a projection anyway.

The REAL deep state are the Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society, the fascist architects of Project 2025, and all their wealthy elite enablers and accomplices.

[AntiFascist]

7. Yes I understand...

but Epstein seemed interested in making connections with all wealthy elites, not necessarily only on the far right. I'm just saying that MAGA would be calling such intelligence operations the "Deep State," not that they should be called that.

[Skittles]

10. MAGAts are easily manipulated

fucking STUPID ASSHOLES

[RockRaven]

6. Nah. Occam's razor. We already know Trump and Epstein were heavily involved

with each other. This is extensively documented in the public record, and has been for many years. So it is more likely the files in question contain more of the same than it is that those files contain that one specific other thing which is not already well documented in the public record.

[AntiFascist]

9. I'm not sure what you mean by that one specific other thing already well documented...

I agree that Trump and Epstein were heavily involved with each other and likely developing "kompromat" that Trump could use later.

[brush]

21. Such a joke that Epstein was intelligence. Who do they think was fooled by that lie?

[womanofthehills]

32. Whitney Webb's research on Epstein

(Ghislaine - Epsteins sometime girlfriend & side kick - is the daughter of Robert Maxwell often connected to Israeli intelligence. )

Whitney Webb, in her investigative series for *MintPress News* and her book *One Nation Under Blackmail*, cites claims from Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli military intelligence official. Ben-Menashe stated in an interview with Narativ that he was introduced to Jeffrey Epstein by Robert Maxwell in the mid-1980s during their involvement in Iran-Contra arms deals. According to Ben-Menashe, Maxwell wanted Epstein to be part of their group, suggesting that Epstein was already working with Maxwell and Israeli intelligence at that time.
[](https://www.unz.com/wwebb/former-israeli-intel-official-claims-jeffrey-epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-worked-for-israeli-intel/)[](https://thealtworld.com/whitney_webb/meet-ghislaine-heiress-to-an-espionage-empire)

Webb’s reporting indicates that Robert Maxwell, a British media mogul with alleged ties to Israeli intelligence (Mossad), played a significant role in bringing Epstein into elite circles. She suggests Maxwell recruited Epstein into intelligence-related activities, potentially involving sexual blackmail operations, which aligned with Maxwell’s own business and espionage endeavors in New York. This connection reportedly began before 1991, when Maxwell died under mysterious circumstances.
[](https://trinedaily.com/2022/03/09/the-journey-84-whitney-webb-the-network-behind-epstein/)[](https://thealtworld.com/whitney_webb/meet-ghislaine-heiress-to-an-espionage-empire)

Additionally, other sources corroborate that Epstein and Maxwell’s daughter, Ghislaine Maxwell, were introduced through Robert Maxwell around 1988. Steven Hoffenberg, a former business associate of Epstein, claimed in the *Broken: Seeking Justice* podcast that Robert Maxwell facilitated the meeting between Epstein and Ghislaine, potentially linking Epstein to Maxwell’s financial and intelligence networks.
[](https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2020/09/30/ghislaine-maxwell-reportedly-met-jeffrey-epstein-through-her-disgraced-father/)

Webb’s work emphasizes that this introduction was not merely personal but part of a broader operation involving organized crime and intelligence networks, with Robert Maxwell’s influence helping Epstein establish connections in New York’s elite social and financial circles. However, specific details about the exact circumstances of Epstein’s first meeting with Robert Maxwell remain murky, as accounts vary and some claims, like those from Ben-Menashe, lack independent corroboration.
[](https://trinedaily.com/2022/03/09/the-journey-84-whitney-webb-the-network-behind-epstein/)[](https://m.arktimes.com/whitney-webbs-investigations-unmasking-the-epstein-scandals-deepest-connections/). - from Groc

[brush]

40. Hah. I guess some are gullible enough. Epstein's so-called 'intel' status sure got him places.

[H2O Man]

8. Yes, of course.

It is sad that people talking about "the Epstein list" generally do not have a clue what they are talking about.

Years ago, Bill Barr's father -- a member of the OSS/CIA -- recruited Epstein. While evaluating personality characteristics, he had Epstein teach at the most exclusive private school in the country, despite Jeffery having no college degree or teaching experience. Within about a year, Barr handed Epstein off to another handler, who gave him an expensive house in NYC and a few million to "invest." Epstein was working for U.S./British/Israeli intelligence.

While "honey pot" traps with teenaged minors was his specialty, he had other roles. For example, he did business with the Israeli weapons dealer who delivered U.S. arms to Iran during the Iran-Contra scandal. His relationship with the felon, where the felon was under the impression they were "best buds," had a very different nature. It was suspected that the felon was laundering money for Russian mobster-intelligence-politicians.

Epstein completed this by showing the felon a mansion he was going to bid on in Florida, including saying what his bid would be. Of course, a day or so later the felon bid more than twice as much as Epstein had, though not telling him. But Epstein knew, just as he knew the felon did not have the financial resources to pay for the mansion. A short time later, the felon sold it to a Russian mobster by twice as much as he had bid, but had not paid in full.

Thus, Epstein had what he sought, and ended any relationship with the felon. It is known that, at very least, Epstein had two photos of the felon, sitting poolside on the island, with two topless underaged teens on his lap. However, other than jet passenger lists, there are no lists. The Epstein files are held within three countries' intelligence communities. There are, of course, literally hundreds of photographs of adult men having sex with minors.

People should take the time needed to understand who Epstein was, and who he worked for, before commenting on him. It is not a mystery.

[AntiFascist]

11. What is distressing is that, due to the high-level corporate figures involved, that the corporate media won't touch this

[H2O Man]

13. They don't dare.

Most politicians won't either. But AOC and a couple others will be in the days to come. Of course, there will be backlash.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

12. I remembered Billy Barr's daddy got Epstein into Dalton

Another reason I do not believe Billy would have had Epstein killed.

Do you have sources to share?

[AntiFascist]

14. I posted this in another thread...

it goes into detail about the historical intelligence ties with Roy Cohn and how they parallel Epstein's:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220482449#post44

[MorbidButterflyTat]

18. Thanks for the link!!

[H2O Man]

15. One can do

research on the internet, and find sources for everything I wrote. Those connections have almost all been out there for years, includin Epstein's relationship with the weapons dealer.

There has been the beginnings of reports by a gentleman who is now considered an author, who was friends with both Epstein and the felon, recently. I anticipate more to come. But he has seen the poolside photos.

(If I was not exhausted from working on the lawn and in the garden, I would look to links. I posted about this when Epstein's life ended here on DU, other than the pool pictures.Maybe tomorrow.)

PS: I hope this didn't come across as rude. I'm just old, tired, & sore.

[AntiFascist]

16. Not rude at all, I always appreciate your posts! n/t

[H2O Man]

20. Thanks!

[MorbidButterflyTat]

17. No, not at all

I'm happy to see someone saying things I've known to be true, amid all the misinformation and noise.

I appreciate it!

[H2O Man]

19. Oh, good.

I try telling my 30-something son that by the time he turns 45, old aches and pains will stop in to visit his body ...... especially at the site of old injuries, Then, at age 60, they move in full-time, and are far more annoying than tennaged boys!

He will learn. He is a three-time state Golden Gloves champion. Since retiring, he runs these curious 32 mile races. He ran one Saturday, without any preparation. And one of his great pleasures in life appears to be putting 120 lbs on his back, running around my lawn, yelling, "Come on, Old Man! I'll get you in shape!" I get tired driving 32 miles.

Anyhow, aches & pains are holding a reunion in this old bag of bones & lard.

Thank you.

I've posted about these types of things since the Plame scandal here on DU. I've made a number of predictions that having come true. But I've never erred on intelligence, its history from the late '50s on, or even who was testifying in Patrick Fitzgerald's grand jury in 2004 on specific days. Davis Shuster used to get my points here, and pass them on to Chris Matthews for "Hardball." Being old and the very definition of pathetic, I don't have the same resources I did two decades ago. But slowly, I have re-connected with a few. They all fully recognize the threat that the felon & cult present.

[pacalo]

22. Your posts on Epstein have been interesting.

Go put your thinking cap to rest; you deserve a break.

[H2O Man]

23. Thanks!

I think that when people hear the truth, it begins to make much more sense. At least for Democrats. The magas' heads might explode.

[pacalo]

25. I had been noticing Epstein's facial expressions toward the 74-ish-year-old toddler

in pictures posted everywhere.

Some pictures show smiles & joking, but look at the candid shots. I see contempt in Epstein's side glances toward the Goldfinger wannabe in some shots, with Epstein doing his best to hide his true feelings. That seems to fit in with your posts.

[H2O Man]

27. Right.

I consider Epstein to have been a vile, repulsive being. But surely he saw the felon as a sociopath, beneath contempt.

[womanofthehills]

33. Tucker Carlson said this week he believed Mossad killed Epstein

There is a clip on X of him saying it.

[AntiFascist]

41. Please don't push right-wing talking points! n/t

[Gaugamela]

24. Mossad. Ghislaine Maxwell's father Robert Maxwell had connections to the Mossad. When he died

he was given a funeral in Israel that was attended by several high level officers in the Mossad and the IDF. Ghislaine reportedly said during her trial: “If Jeff had immunity then so do I.” My guess is Mossad probably coordinated with the CIA on this. They were involved in swaying congressional voting on various interests, but mainly Israel.

[dalton99a]

26. Tucker Carlson claims 'everyone in Washington' believes that Epstein was a Mossad operative

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-860762

Tucker Carlson claims ‘everyone in Washington' believes that Epstein was a Mossad operative
In a speech at a Turning Point USA event, conservative TV personality Tucker Carlson questioned if Jeffrey Epstein blackmailed people involved in his sex trafficking scheme on behalf of the Mossad.
By CORINNE BAUM
JULY 12, 2025 14:15

Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson insinuated that Jeffrey Epstein was working for Israeli intelligence services in a Friday address at a Turning Point USA event.

“It’s extremely obvious to anyone who watches that this guy had direct connections to a foreign government. No one’s allowed to say that that foreign government is Israel, because we have been somehow cowed into thinking that’s naughty,” he said at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida.

He then went on to assert his claim, adding that: “There’s nothing antisemitic about saying that. There’s nothing even anti-Israel about saying that.”

In the speech, Carlson questioned whether or not Epstein was blackmailing people on behalf of the Mossad. He also questioned where Epstein’s wealth and career came from.

“The real question is not ‘Was Jeffrey Epstein a weirdo who was abusing girls?’ The real question is why was he doing this, on whose behalf, and where did the money come from,” Carlson said.

...

[MrWowWow]

28. So, Members of Congress Are Still Being Blackmailed

By Mossad with compromat provided to them (Mossad) by Epstein? Is this why U.S. funding to Israel was a lock all those years...and still is?

[womanofthehills]

34. I would change that to - still being blackmailed

As Epstein reported to others & they are still around.

[snot]

46. THAT is the key question. By Mossad, or the CIA, or anyone.

How many legislative votes or other consequential actions have taken place through the years that were influenced via blackmail?

[AntiFascist]

29. Blaming Mossad sounds like a far right ruse to distract us, and Carlson knows that it hints at anti-semitism...

I would be much more interested in Epstein's connections with Russian elites.

[womanofthehills]

35. We know Epstein's girlfriend Ghislaine is Maxwell's daughter

& he was connected to Mossad and he introduced Epstein to very rich important people.

Epstein wasn’t exactly hanging out with Putin’s daughter 🙃🙃

[AntiFascist]

36. See my post #31 above...

Maxwell had a lot going on in his life and was ultimately considered to be "a thoroughly bad character and almost certainly financed by Russia. He had known links to the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), to the Soviet KGB, and to the Israeli intelligence service Mossad."

More like Putin's Russian mafia infiltrating these other agencies.

[lanlady]

43. On this one point, I agree with Tucker

It's what makes the most sense. Mossad is a very capable service. Having a sick person like Epstein in place with all that kompromat on US political elites would be a godsend to any intelligence service. As much as people want to point the finger at Russians, I think Epstein had personal affinities to Israel that make Mossad the more likely choice.

[AntiFascist]

44. He had more personal affinities within the UK...

and they came to the conclusion that he was being financed by Russians. That's the bottom line.

[BoRaGard]

37. G.O.P. ethics come right out of the sewer

[Blue Full Moon]

38. Israeli

[IronLionZion]

39. Sounds like a deep state Q anon conspiracy

Where are the Q anon folks on this? It sounds like wealthy powerful forces are indeed protecting child predators. Could it be any more obvious?

[AntiFascist]

42. It's unfortunate that Tucker Carlson's anti-semitic talking points are being repeated all over the place...

including social media, apparently.

Sorry about the paywall, but the British Foreign Office suspected that Ghislaine's father was a Russian agent, receiving funds from Russia:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1445707/FO-suspected-Maxwell-was-a-Russian-agent-papers-reveal.html

The right-wing talking point that Maxwell was only a Mossad agent is probably there to throw us off the track of Russia. Note that there are prominent right-wing podcasters who are also financed by Russia!

[Kid Berwyn]

45. Justice for Just Us

Alexander Acosta — When serving as a US Attorney, former Secretary of Labor Acosta arranged a most lenient plea deal that served to protect child sexual predator Epstein from his accusers and justice.

https://www.vox.com/2019/7/10/20689416/jeffrey-epstein-alexander-acosta-labor-secretary-deal



The more complete story, courtesy of US Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Massachusetts):

Salon: After giving Epstein "deal of a lifetime," Alex Acosta tried to slash anti-trafficking program

July 10, 2019

Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, the former federal prosecutor who gave financier Jeffrey Epstein a light plea deal when he was first accused of sex-trafficking children, tried to cut a program that combats human trafficking by nearly 80 percent.

Acosta is facing numerous calls to resign after Epstein was charged with running a child sex trafficking ring in New York and Florida. Acosta previously served as U.S. attorney in Miami, where his office identified 36 underage victims and issued a 53-page indictment against Epstein in 2007. Rather than face life in prison, Epstein cut the “deal of a lifetime” with Acosta, as the Miami Herald reported, allowing Epstein to plead guilty to two state prostitution charges and serve just 13 months in county jail, where he was allowed to leave to work from his office six days per week. The deal also granted the well-connected billionaire who investigators believed hosted underage sex parties for affluent menimmunity for any unnamed “potential co-conspirators.” A federal judge later found the deal was illegalbecause Acosta did not consult the alleged victims of Epstein's crimes before agreeing to the deal.

Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., says this was not the only time Acosta turned a blind eye to child trafficking.

Acosta’s Labor Department budget proposal for fiscal year 2020 proposed slashing the budget of the International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) by nearly 80 percent. The agency is charged with combating human trafficking, child labor and forced labor in the United States and around the world.

“This is now a pattern,” Clark told the Guardian. “Like so many in this administration Mr. Acosta chooses the powerful and wealthy over the vulnerable and victims of sexual assault and it is time that he finds another line of work.”

Clark grilled Acosta about the proposed cuts during a hearing in April.

After Clark and Acosta both agreed that more needed to be done to combat trafficking, Clark pointed out that Acosta had also “proposed a budget cut, almost 80 percent, 79 percent to ILAB where this work is done, bringing its budget from $68 million to just $18.5 million.”

“I’m sure you’ve come prepared to justify this cut to us but it doesn’t go unnoticed that this isn’t the first time that you’ve ignored human trafficking,” Clark said. “Your office found that there had been a sexual abuse pyramid scheme that involved at least 36 underage girls. … Mr. Epstein raped and recruited these girls … and there is evidence that he allowed his friends to do the same.”

“Epstein should have been looking at a sentence of 366 years at a minimum. But that’s not what happened,” Clark continued. “How can we expect you, the labor secretary, to fight for American workers if you couldn't even fight for these girls?”

The proposed ILAB cuts were not the only Acosta decision to come under fire from human rights advocates. Earlier this year, the Labor Department rolled back Obama-era protections for some human trafficking victims and will now deny certain visas to victims of trafficking or other workplace crimes unless they first consult with another law enforcement agency like the FBI.

Erika Gonzalez, a lawyer for the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking, told the Daily Beast that the new rule will force victims to jump through “a lot more hoops,” often after they have endured devastating ordeals.

“What the Epstein case shows is when these policies around human trafficking are implemented, they’re not necessarily considerate of the impact on the victims themselves,” Gonzalez told the site. “With the Department of Labor asking the FBI to look into [workplace violations] first, they’re adding another barrier for victims of trafficking to access the services the Department of Labor has.”

While the visa rule change will be implemented by the Labor Department, Democrats are fighting back against the proposed ILAB cuts. In their own 2020 budget proposal, Democrats called for expanding ILAB funding from from $68 million to $122 million.

Acosta’s future at the department remains unclear after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called for him to step down following Epstein’s arrest.

President Trump, a longtime friend of Epstein, meanwhile tried to distance himself and Acosta from Epstein’s alleged crimes Tuesday. Trump claimed he was “not a fan” of Epstein, despite previously having praised him as a “terrific guy?? with a penchant for women “on the younger side.” Trump said that Acosta had done a “fantastic job” and insisted, “I do hear that there were a lot of people involved in that [Epstein] decision.”

Asked about the Epstein case on Tuesday, Trump had nothing to say about the victims but lamented the criticism of the prosecutor who let Epstein get off with a slap on the wrist more than a decade earlier.

“I feel very badly actually for Secretary Acosta because I’ve known him as somebody who works so hard and has done such a good job. I feel very badly about that whole situation,” Trump said. “But we’re going to be looking at that and looking at it very closely.”

Source with links any incorruptible Assistant DA can follow:

https://katherineclark.house.gov/2019/7/salon-after-giving-epstein-deal-of-a-lifetime-alex-acosta-tried-to-slash-anti-trafficking-program