FBI PUBLIC AFFAIRS - DIRECTOR'S AM NEWS BRIEFING

FBI PUBLIC AFFAIRS - DIRECTOR'S AM NEWS BRIEFING MONDAY JULY 8 2019 5:00 AM EDT EFTA00160957 Epstein Arrested, Accused Of Sex Trafficking. ABC woad News Tonight (717, story 2, 3:05, Llamas. 505K) reported "billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein "was arrested at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport after returning on a flight from France.' AVC said "sources" say Epstein is "accused of trafficking girls in Florida and New York for sex." ABC (Reshef) added that in 2007, Epstein "faced potential federal indictment for running a scheme to recruit underage girls to his home for lewd massages, and in some cases, sex." He "struck a plea deal, serving just 13 months in county jail, registering as a sex offender. The agreement also halted a federal grand jury investigation, and gave Epstein and other potential co-conspirators EFTA00160958 immunity from federal charges in Florida." Labor Secretary Acosta was "the US Attorney who authorized that deal.' Acosta was asked about the case at his confirmation hearing. Acosta: "The Department of Justice has defended the actions of the office in that matter under both President Bush and President Obama's Administrations' The Daily Beast (7/6, Pervaiz, Shallwani, 1.39M) reports, "Saturday's arrest by the FBI-NYPD Crimes Against Children Task Force comes about 12 years after the 66-year-old financier essentially got a slap on the wrist for allegedly molesting dozens of underage gids in Florida." According to the Daily Beast, "The new indictment — which, according to two sources, will be unsealed Monday in Manhattan federal court — will reportedly allege that Epstein sexually exploited dozens of underage girls in a now-familiar scheme: paying them cash for 'massages' and then molesting or sexually abusing them in his Upper East Side mansion or his palatial residence in Palm Beach' Epstein "will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors — which could put him away for a maximum of 45 years.' The case "is being handled by the Public Corruption Unit of the Southern District of New York, with assistance from the district's human- trafficking officials and the FBI." Reuters (7/7, Pierson) reports, "Epstein, 66, was being held in New York City's Metropolitan Correctional Center, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons website.- Reuters adds, 'Asked by email if Epstein planned to plead not guilty to any charges, a lawyer for Epstein, Jack Goldberger, replied, 'Yes."' CNN International (7/6, Prokupecz, Moghe) reports, "A team of federal prosecutors from the Southern District of ublic corruption unit, have been assigned to the case," and 1 the daughter of is one of the prosecutors, according to a source with knowledge of the case." Kathy Park said on NBC Nightly News (717, story 3, 2:15, Snow, 170K) that Acosta "has previously defended his decision. Seaetary Acosta has not responded to NBC News inquiries. The Labor Department referred us to the Department of Justice, which had no comment." The CBS Weekend News (7/7, story 6, 2:25, Lenghi, 128K) also highlighted the plea deal "arraigned by Epstein's legal team and...Acosta" in its report on Epstein's arrest. The Miami Herald (717, Brown, 1.09M) says Trump, "who lived less than a mile from Epstein's waterfront mansion in Palm Beach, had also been friends with Epstein. Records show that he flew on Epstein's private jet on occasion and attended parties and social events where he was photographed with Epstein." A New York Times (717, Wang, 18.61M) analysis say the new case against Epstein "could shed new light not only on the allegations, which span years and countries, but also on the extent to which officials who have been linked to Mr. Epstein — including, most notably, President Trump and his labor secretary, Alexander Acosta — knew about or downplayed them." Steve Hilton said on Fox News The Next Revolution (717), "Will we finally see some accountability from Alex Acosta? In my view, it really is time for him to go." Pelosi's Daughter Says Figures On Left And Right Could Be Implicated In Epstein Case. The Washington Examiner (717, Pearce, 448K) reports House Speaker Pelosi's daughter, Christine Pelosi, said in a tweet Saturday that "some of our favorites- on the left and the right may be implicated in the case against Epstein. After news of Epstein's arrest broke, she tweeted "This Epstein case is horrific and the young women deserve justice. It is quite likely that some of our faves are implicated but we must follow the facts and let the chips fall where they may — whether on Republicans or Democrats." EFTA00160959 EFTA00160960 EFTA00160961 EFTA00160962 EFTA00160963