(CNN) — The former US attorney who negotiated a controversial 2008 plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein defended that agreement in a closed-door interview with House investigators last month, according to a transcript of the interview released by lawmakers.

Alex Acosta, the former US attorney from the Southern District of Florida who later served as labor secretary during President Donald Trump’s first term, disagreed with the assessment that he gave Epstein a “sweetheart deal” and argued that it would have been a “crapshoot” to take the case to federal trial at the time.

In an extensive interview with the House Oversight Committee, Acosta reflected on what he viewed as his constraints as the US attorney on the case and why he felt he did the best he could with the circumstances he was naviga

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