President Donald Trump’s first-term labor secretary, Alex Acosta, told congressional investigators on Friday that he never saw the then-businessman’s name appear in any records related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, according to a summary readout of his transcribed interview before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Acosta, who served as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida when Epstein secured a controversial 2008 plea deal, also testified that he never personally met Epstein or his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. His appearance before lawmakers marked a rare voluntary interview, as most witnesses in the committee’s Epstein investigation have appeared under subpoena in recent weeks.

“Alex Acosta cooperated with our questions today and provided information that will help advance our investigation into the federal government’s handling of the Epstein and Maxwell cases,” said Chairman James Comer (R-KY) in a statement. “We expect to announce new action soon.”

Epstein, who pleaded guilty to state-related prostitution charges in 2008, including solicitation of a minor, served just 13 months in jail with extensive work-release privileges, a deal victims’ advocates and federal judges have since decried as excessively lenient.

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