Barr won’t recuse himself from Epstein prosecution in New York
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr will not recuse himself from the federal prosecution of billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in New York, but he will remain uninvolved in “any retrospective review” of Epstein’s previous plea deal in Florida, a senior Justice Department official said Tuesday.
Barr had telegraphed at his confirmation hearing in January that he might have to step aside from any Justice Department reviews of Epstein’s case, because another lawyer at his then firm, Kirkland & Ellis, had represented the wealthy financier.
The other lawyer, Jay Lefkowitz, helped secure a plea deal for Epstein in 2008 that has been widely criticized as being too lenient, in that it allowed Epstein to spend just 13 months in jail in Florida, with work release privileges, to resolve allegations that he abused dozens of young girls.
The split nature of Barr’s recusal suggests that federal prosecutors in New York — who unsealed new sex trafficking charges against Epstein on Monday — might not be investigating authorities’ handling of the previous allegations.
The Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility has been reviewing the handling of Epstein’s 2008 plea deal for possible misconduct, and Barr is recused from that.
But the senior Justice Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Barr will not be recused from the prosecution in New York.
Epstein is a well-connected money man with ties to former President Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump. His case has drawn significant attention for the generous plea deal he previously received, which his victims have alleged was a result of his wealth, connections and high-powered legal defense team, including Lefkowitz, Barr’s former colleague.
The Miami Herald reported that Lefkowitz had a one-on-one meeting with then U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta — who supervised the Florida case and is now Trump’s labor secretary — at which Acosta agreed not to prosecute Epstein in federal court.
Asked at his confirmation hearing whether he would investigate the handling of the Epstein case, Barr said he had been advised he had to recuse himself from matters that involved Kirkland & Ellis and added: “I need to sort out exactly what my role can be.”