Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) found himself in a tense back-and-forth with CNN host Jake Tapper on Sunday after pushing false claims about the timeline of Jeffrey Epstein’s controversial plea deal.
Appearing on State of the Union, Mullin falsely alleged that the infamous 2008 nonprosecution agreement shielding Epstein and his alleged co-conspirators was struck “underneath the Obama administration.” The deal, in reality, was made during George W. Bush’s presidency, and was negotiated by then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta—who would later become President Trump’s labor secretary.
“Remember, there was a plea deal that was struck in 2009… under the Obama administration,” Mullin claimed, misrepresenting the timeline and facts surrounding the case.
Tapper swiftly corrected the senator: “It was 2008. The U.S. attorney at the time was a guy named Alex Acosta. He was a Bush appointee.”
Despite the correction, Mullin refused to back down, continuing to insist the case was “sealed in 2009” and pointing to the Obama years as the context for the deal.
The clash comes as renewed scrutiny surrounds how Epstein’s case was handled and amid growing public pressure for transparency, especially around redacted court documents and sealed grand jury materials.
Earlier in the interview, Mullin accused Democrats of using the Epstein case as a “hoax” to distract from what he called their “awful record.” Tapper responded by pointing out that calls to release the Epstein files have largely come from Trump’s MAGA base.
When Tapper pivoted the conversation toward Ghislaine Maxwell and asked if Mullin believed she was credible or if a potential pardon from Trump would be a mistake, Mullin deflected: “I don’t know enough about Maxwell or the conversation to even weigh in on that.”
The senator returned to his earlier claims instead, reiterating, “The case was sealed in 2009. That’s absolutely true.”
Tapper, maintaining his composure, wrapped up the segment by once again setting the record straight. “The sweetheart deal was in 2008 during the George W. Bush administration,” he said. “But I always appreciate your coming on the show, Sen. Mullin. Thanks for joining us.”
Mullin also claimed that the Trump administration cannot release more information about Epstein due to a judge’s decision last week to keep grand jury transcripts from 2005 and 2007 under seal. Tapper challenged that assertion too, stating: “There’s troves of information that the administration could release tomorrow if they wanted to… Grand jury hearings and transcripts, the judge has control over. That doesn’t mean everything is locked from the public. It does not work that way.”
The fiery exchange underscored ongoing political tension surrounding the Epstein case—and how misinformation continues to cloud the push for justice and accountability.