https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/the-pressure-on-a-prosecutor-how-epsteins-wealth-and-power-steered-acosta-toward-lenient-deal/2019/07/12/2a7bdd08-a421-11e9-bd56-eac6bb02d01d_story.html
According to the lead FBI agent on the Florida case, “a majority of the victims” expressed concern about disclosure of their identities — including some whose parents didn’t know about their ties to Epstein — and some victims told the FBI they didn’t want anything bad to happen to Epstein.
“No victims expressed a strong opinion that Epstein be prosecuted,” the agent, E. Nesbitt Kuyrkendall, said in a court document.
Right there is the name of one of the FBI agents on the case. I find their claim that no victims expressed a strong opinion that Epstein be prosecuted hard to believe. In fact, I believe it was a lie to cover their own ass.
These comments from Epstein's lawyers including Alan Dershowitz are absolutely disgusting.
“The conduct is exaggerated,” one of Epstein’s lawyers said in an interview, speaking on the condition of anonymity because his former client hasn’t authorized him to comment. “I know of no rape. Basically, it’s a masturbation case, a misdemeanor, maybe. Most of the girls weren’t that young, maybe 16 to 20.”
“They were just massages that turned into a little more than massages,” said Alan Dershowitz, another of Epstein’s attorneys. “It seemed like a small case, a half-dozen massages by local people. They were all 18. Nobody heard of anybody, like, 14.”
I'm limited by fair use from copying more, but there is more in the article about tactics Epstein and his lawyers used on the victims. They all should have faced charges over that. Especially Dershowitz. However, that doesn't leave Acosta off the hook. Epstein's deal was ruled by a Judge to be illegal. I believe Acosta along with anybody else from DOJ and FBI who participated in and approved of the handling of the case need to face repercussions for their actions - even if it's 20 years later.
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