This article was originally published by Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge

Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced New York financier who served 13 months in prison for soliciting an underaged girl for prostitution, has served his time, and despite all of the negative press surrounding his “Lolita Express” and the many celebrities and politicians – including former President Bill Clinton and disgraced actor Kevin Spacey – who have reportedly traveled to his “orgy island”, he will likely live out his life as a free man (unless new offenses are committed).

But thanks to a series published by the Miami Herald last year that delved into how prosecutors worked with powerful defense attorneys to ensure Epstein received such a lenient sentence. The expose shed a light on the role played by Alex Acosta, who went on to become Trump’s Secretary of Labour, in handing down the light sentence. Acosta was the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida at the time Epstein’s sentence was handed down.

Now, thanks to those stories, the DOJ has reportedly opened an investigation into the conduct of DOJ attorneys in the case, and whether they committed “professional misconduct” in their working relationship with Epstein’s attorneys.

The probe was opened in response to a request lodged by Sen. Ben Sasse, a a Nebraska Republican and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who raised questions about the case after reading the Herald’s stories about how Acosta and other DOJ attorneys worked with defense attorneys to cut a lenient plea deal for Epstein back in 2008, per the Herald.

JUST IN: Senate Judiciary Cmte. member Sasse says the US Justice Dept. has opened an investigation into allegations that dept. attorneys "may have committed professional misconduct in the manner in which the [Jeffrey] Epstein criminal matter was resolved." pic.twitter.com/3pHkm3dBQF

— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) February 6, 2019

At the time, the FBI was run by Robert Mueller.

Though the reasons for the lenient deal could be rooted in the natural advantages of the wealthy, one Twitter user who did a deep dive into a cache of redacted FBI Vault documents released last year raised the possibility that Epstein could have been an informant for the FBI, providing information on executives from failed investment bank Bear Stearns in exchange for the lenient sentence (though there’s nothing in his guilty plea that suggested he provided information).

To be sure, records show that Epstein passed a polygraph test showing that he didn’t know any of the girls he solicited were under the age of 18 at the time. Also, the case has taken on renewed importance since opposition research shops tried to link President Trump to Epstein during the campaign.

Wait. Was pedophile Jeffrey Epstein an informant for Mueller's FBI?

From the 5/24/18 FBI Vault release: "Epstein has also provided information to the FBI as agreed upon."

Is that why he escaped serious charges for molesting over twenty girls? pic.twitter.com/K4suAumD85

— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) May 24, 2018

Here's the thing: I'm seeing nothing in Epstein's 2007 plea deal with the DOJ that required him to provide information to the FBI. (see pics)

This begs the question of whether there was a separate agreement – still undisclosed – with the FBI. pic.twitter.com/fLQ00Q50jc

— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) May 25, 2018

It's not a conspiracy if it fits the behavior of the parties involved. Remember, subsequent civil suits uncovered efforts by the DOJ to keep the plea deal secret from the public and the girls Epstein molested. pic.twitter.com/0jCwhng3RH

— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) May 25, 2018

Hugely important dates:

9/27/2007: Epstein signs the non-prosecution agreement

10/31/2007: Internal emails show that FBI agents still had not interviewed all the victims. pic.twitter.com/xKI6fk09dj

— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) May 25, 2018

2/2018: Five months after the plea deal was reached, FBI agents still haven't interviewed all the victims/witnesses. FBI agents haven't even seen all the physical evidence. pic.twitter.com/tojewQUWHx

— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) May 25, 2018

Ok Techno, what does this have to do with Mueller?

The case was being run from DC.

Spring of 2008: Emails between FBI agents and the local ass't US attorneys reveal "continued delays" in getting the case to a grand jury "due to the failure to receive decision from DC" pic.twitter.com/u7AQPXuuhz

— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) May 25, 2018

Yet more records.

1/23/2008: The FBI was directly involved in the DC meetings with the DOJ about Epstein.

Did Mueller attend? pic.twitter.com/0XOBewTW6w

— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) May 25, 2018

Looks like we have an answer on Epstein's cooperation with the FBI/DOJ, thanks to great reporting by @MiamiHerald

The DOJ wanted to prosecute executives instead of a child molester.

DOJ priorities. pic.twitter.com/G5wzyac5aK

— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) November 29, 2018

While that hasn’t been conclusively proven, it could have been part of a separate agreement that has yet to be disclosed.