We’ve noted how Newsmax has added former Trump labor secretary Alex Acosta to its board of directors, but doesn’t want to talk about how he’s best known for being the lawyer who got pedophile Jeffrey Epstein a sweetheart plea deal. It turns out that Acosta was a notable Newsmax talking head for a couple years before getting named to its board. Here are examples of his Newsmax appearances since 2023:
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Private Sector Censorship Going Too Far
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Tesla Labor Flap ‘Should Be Investigated’
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Americans ‘Reengaging with Economy’
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: SVB Purchase ‘Clearly Good News’
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Economy ‘Hungering’ for Front-Line Workers
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: McCarthy Seeks Debt-Ceiling Compromise
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: ‘Americans Are Worried’ About Economy
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Banks ‘Have Troubled Balance Sheets’
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: End of Title 42 Will Harm Economy
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Slow Govt Spending, Not Economy
- Acosta to Newsmax: Biden Will Negotiate, ‘Cannot Afford’ to Default
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Saudi Arabia Oil Cutbacks Bad for Economy
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Recession ‘Likely’ Due to Spending
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: US ‘Can’t Afford’ a Major UPS Strike
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Americans Don’t Want EVs
- Acosta to Newsmax: Many Companies Face Difficulties Post-Pandemic
- Acosta to Newsmax: Would Disney ‘Turn Back Time’ on Political Activism?
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Worker Strikes ‘Often Threatened,’ but Rare
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Trump Forces Media to Cover the Issues
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Minimum Wage Boost Costs Jobs
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Tesla’s Price Cuts Linked to Biden’s Artificial Demand
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Harris Trying to Buy Votes With Agenda
- Former Labor Secretary to Newsmax: Fed Rate Cut Timing ‘Disturbing’
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Economic Comeback Has Already Begun With Trump
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Trump’s Tariffs Equal Growth, Jobs, and No Inflation
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Trump ‘Not Playing Around’
- Alex Acosta to Newsmax: Trump Thinks Chavez-DeRemer Is ‘Just Right’
It appears that yeoman talking-head work — heavy on the Trump-fluffing, of course — plus his connection to Trump appears to be what got Acosta the gig on Newsmax’s board. He even got to be present in April when Newsmax’s stock officially launched on the New York Stock Exchange.
The only significant link Newsmax made between Acosta and Epstein during that time was a February 2024 article by Nicole Weatherholtz on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis releasing Epstein documents noting that Acosta “handled” the Epstein plea deal and that “Reporting by the Miami Herald over Acosta’s involvement in the Epstein investigation caused an outcry that ultimately led Acosta to resign his secretary position.”
Interestingly, Acosta has been mentioned only twice on Newsmax since his ascension to the board was officially announced on June 11 — both instances having to do with the Epstein case blowing up again. A July 15 article by Sandy Fitzgerald on Ghislaine Maxwell referenced “R. Alexander Acosta,” while a July 28 article by Michael Katz on Maxwell’s attempt to overturn her conviction noted that it “focuses on the plea agreement Epstein reached with Alex Acosta, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Acosta was labor secretary in President Donald Trump’s first term before resigning following Epstein’s 2019 arrest on sex trafficking charges.” Neither article disclosed that Acosta is a Newsmax board member.