Trump‑appointed officials face DOJ probe over Jeffrey Epstein case handling

Edwards, who brought the victims’ rights case against the government, said transferring the case to another jurisdiction is a prudent decision. “T think it’s good that we’re going to get fresh eyes and a fresh opinion on the way the case was handled,”’ Edwards said Tuesday. “We were obviously in an adversarial posture with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami because they handled the case to begin with.”’ Miami’s new U.S. Attorney, Ariana Fajardo Orshan — who was appointed by President Trump in September — did not respond to a request for comment. Play Video DurationA 5:29 Jeffrey Epstein apologizes, but not to his victims Jeffrey Epstein apologizes, but not to his victims Emily Michot Edwards predicted that it would take some time for Pak’s office to review the case, which includes more than 500 docket entries and thousands of documents. He said If the sides can’t agree on a resolution, then Marra would likely have to come up with one. The case is being closely watched by crime victims’ rights advocates, as it will likely set a precedent. Acosta, who was appointed by Trump as the U.S. secretary of labor in 2017, is the focus of a separate Justice Department investigation into whether there was any prosecutorial misconduct in the Epstein case. That probe, by the DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility, was initiated in response to demands from a bipartisan group in Congress, led by Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. In the meantime, a court hearing will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday in New York in another Epstein-related case. A federal appeals court will hear oral arguments in a motion by the Miami Herald, supported by 32 other news organizations, asking the court to unseal documents that could reveal details about the extent of Epstein’s crimes and any other people who may have been involved. Three of Epstein’s former attorneys — who helped negotiate his plea deal in 2008 — wrote a letter published in the New York Times on Monday, defending the plea bargain cut with Acosta as a fair deal. The letter was in response to a Times editorial that called on Congress and the Trump administration to hold Acosta and others involved in the case accountable. Epstein’s lawyers said the editorial’s conclusions were “in profound conflict with the reality,’’ noting that there was no evidence that Epstein committed federal sex trafficking offenses. The letter was signed by former HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031394