EFTA00029471.pdf

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Subject: Epstein Case A Turning Point In Prosecutorial Accountability? 
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2019 11:29:40 +0000 
Importance: Normal 
Epstein Case A Turning Point In Prosecutorial Accountability? 
By Jody Godoy 
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Law360 (February 11, 2019, 9:30 PM EST) --
The U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing a deal 
that a Trump administration official cut as a federal 
prosecutor, and the case has added fuel to a bid to 
change how the DOJ handles prosecutorial 
misconduct probes. 
Last week it came to light that the DOA Office of 
Professional Responsibility had opened an 
investigation into how Labor Secretary Alexander 
Acosta handled a 2008 investigation into an underage 
sex trafficking ring when he was a U.S. attorney. The 
Miami Herald reported in November that Acosta and 
another prosecutor worked with lawyers for 
billionaire Jeffrey Epstein to keep the public eye off 
the case and have Epstein charged with state crimes 
even though investigators had gathered evidence of 
an international trafficking scheme. 
The case has become part of a rallying cry for some 
members of Congress who instead want to see such 
investigations into potential prosecutorial misconduct 
done by the DOJ's Inspector General, which is 
independent from the agency. 
The law currently gives the OIG power to investigate 
alleged misconduct by DOJ employees, except when 
the claims "relate to the exercise of the authority of 
an attorney to investigate, litigate, or provide legal 
EFTA00029471


advice." 
In January, the U.S. House of 
Representativesunanimously passed a bill called the 
Inspector General Access Act that would delete that 
exception. 
At the hearing, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-
Fla., said that while lawmakers on both sides of the 
aisle have long supported the concept, the situation 
has become "urgent." 
"The American people and the victims of these 
horrific crimes deserve to know why justice was not 
served in this disturbing case, and the lack of…
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