From: Subject: DOJ To Investigate Epstein Plea Deal After Prodding By Sasse Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2019 11:09:46 +0000 Importance: Normal DOJ To Investigate Epstein Plea Deal After Prodding By Sasse By Lauren Berg Share us on: By Lauren Berg Law360 (February 6, 2019, 10:35 PM EST) -- The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into whether its attorneys engaged in misconduct when negotiating a controversial plea deal for wealthy convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a letter the department sent Wednesday to Sen. Ben Sasse, who repeatedly pushed for such an investigation. • The sparse letter, signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gener. informed Sasse, a Nebraska Republican and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, that the DOJ's Office of Professional Responsibility had opened an investigation into allegations that its attorneys had committed misconduct when resolving the Epstein case. The Dal said any allegations of professional misconduct against DOJ attorneys that relate to the exercise of authority to investigate, litigate or provide legal advice are handled by the OPR — similar to the internal affairs division of a police department. "OPR will thoroughly investigate the allegations of misconduct that have been raised and, consistent with its practice, will share its results with you at the conclusion of its investigation as appropriate," the letter states. It was after reading an investigative report by the Miami Herald, which said that Epstein's alleged victims were deliberately excluded from the plea deal, that Sasse became concerned and sent two letters to the DOJ, urging the agency to investigate. The Herald's three-part series, "Perversion of Justice," showed how Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta, then the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and other DOJ attorneys worked closely with defense lawyers to craft a lenient plea deal for Epstein in 2008. Wednesday's letter does not mention Acosta