Labor Secretary Alex Acosta Resigns Over Controversial Handling of Epstein Case as U.S. Attorney

By Politicized News

· Domestic Policy

Labor Secretary Alex Acosta announced his resignation on Friday morning, saying that his decision was made amidst controversy over how he handled a sex-crimes case against Jeffery Epstein when he was a U.S. attorney in Southern Florida. Acosta made the announcement standing next to President Trump, who said that he received the call from Acosta in the morning and that it was fully Acosta’s decision to resign.

Acosta’s past was brought up again on July 6th, when billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges by federal law enforcement agents. Over a decade ago, Acosta was the lead attorney on a case where Epstein was accused of the same crimes, and struck a plea deal with Epstein, allowing him to avoid prosecution. Acosta’s team struck the deal, which included concealing the number of victims and extent of Epstein’s crimes, and only required him to spend 13 months in county jail.

A Florida judge ruled in February that Acosta’s team broke the law by concealing the 30 underage victims that Epstein sexually abused from the public. “The Department of Justice needs to swiftly investigate whether Secretary Acosta violated standard DOJ practice in giving Epstein this sweetheart deal, ensure accountability for any wrongdoing and pursue justice for survivors,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said.