Trump team finds someone to throw under the bus on Epstein
Tuesday Senate A hearing containing FBI Director Kash Patel He didn’t pour a ton of light on his article Jeffrey Epstein Files. However, it was very important in another respect: Trump pointed out a new political effort against the accusation of the administration.
And the target is a person whom Trump once defended.
Patel, who witnessed the Senate Judiciary Committee, seemed to be pointing to error Alexander AcostaHe was a US lawyer in Florida in the late 2000s and was cut off An agreement with Epstein. This agreement came years before Trump chose Acosta as a working secretary in the first period of George W. Bush.
Patel was not forced to be forced twice in the opening statement of Acosta at the opening statement on Tuesday.
I am here to express that the original sin in the Epstein case was initially brought back by Mr. Acosta in 2006, Pate Patel said at the beginning of the hearing.
Hamstrung told Hamstrung about Acosta’s ability to hold Epstein responsible and sharing the Federal Government of Epstein and non -protected agreement.
“If I were the Director of the FBI, then it wouldn’t be,” Patel added.
FBI Director Kash Patel speaks at the Senate Judiciary Committee during an supervision hearing in Capitol on Tuesday. – Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
The effort to blame shows that the Republicans can make Acosta a focal point at a time when the administration encounters heat to address the Epstein case. Patel’s comments are just three days before Acosta is preparing to witness the Assembly surveillance committee – now it is more closely watched.
In his own testimony, Patel then returned to Acosta when he asked Epstein smuggling girls to other boys. Patel said that Acosta had limited the investigation and limited the search orders and limited the parameters of the investigation ”.
Patel meant that this meant that this means “the only thing we can talk to with the public, because a non -promotional agreement was made by Mr. Acosta ,, it was a period in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
CNN reached Acosta to comment on the Board of Directors, but did not receive any response. Acosta in 2019 defended the agreement As it is necessary to make sure that Epstein served on a timely time and is registered as a sex criminal.
Patel’s Movement to blame Acosta is striking for several reasons.
The first is that there is a very sudden change for the Trump administration.
Many people criticized the out -of -condemnation agreement with Epstein, when Epstein was accused of sex trafficking with Epstein, Epstein, Epstein. (He died in suicide soon.) A 2018 Miami Herald Report, “A lifetime agreement”And explained the ways to be extraordinary. Epstein’s 2019 indictment reported Acosta to resign from the Trump administration.
However, Trump has never been among the critics of Acosta. In fact, although he accepted his resignation in 2019, Trump strongly defended him.
“Actually, I feel so bad for the secretary Acosta” Trump said thenHe repeatedly praises Acosta’s work as a business secretary.
He also criticized the Protection Agreement as a quarter on Monday morning.
“You know, you can always guess the second, and you can say that it should be more difficult, Tr Trump said. “They always do this with me.
Trump also said that Acosta didn’t even need to resign.
“As far as I am worried about, there is no need,” he said.
Alex Acosta speaks to President Donald Trump and others at a cabinet meeting in July 2019. – Alex Brandon/AP/File
Trump’s first -term Ministry of Justice finally criticized Acosta for an agreement with Epstein. This is a 2020 Report Acosta said that he referred to his “weak judgment, but did not make“ professional abuse ..
However, a high -profile member of the Trump administration seems to personally accuse Acosta.
And the decision to blame him, the strange decision not to include Acosta last month 10 The First List of Court Celbi Witnesses.
After the democrats cried foul, President James Comer announced the committee from Kentucky He used to sit with acosta – set for Friday. It is worth watching how much Republicans adopted the strategy of Patel’s blame him.
However, such an effort will be complicated from the fact that Acosta is not only an old Trump Cabinet official, but also the fact that the non -condemnation agreement was not a problem before.
Even when Trump selected Acosta for the workers’ secretary in 2017, Epstein was known with the “honey agreement” and it was a problem. The first Trump administration did not take any action within eight months between Miami Herald’s agreement in November 2018 and Epstein’s charges in July 2019.
Trump established Acosta in a high -profile role. Now Patel says Epstein is effective in allowing him to escape justice for so long.
To the extent that the administration and allies of Trump adopt this strategy, a series of new problems.
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