Alex Acosta is out of his Trump Administration Labor Secretary job, resigning today and leaving one week from today.
I imagine he's hiring criminal defense lawyers for what sure looks to this non-lawyer like his illegal handling of a serial child rapist's case.
When Acosta was a federal prosecutor in 2008, he gave Epstein "a joke of a plea deal on sex crime charges," as my colleague wrote here yesterday about Acosta's joke of a video.
Was there a conspiracy, investigators will likely ask. This feels like it may be news that hits before even bigger news.
Acosta's handling of the Florida case against accused billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade ago is under fire this week, now that Epstein has been arrested by the feds on new sexual abuse charges involving conduct in New York state, and charges of trafficking across state lines.
"I told him he doesn't have to do this," says Pres Trump of Acosta's resignation. "There is no need at all" for him to do this," "So, it's very sad," said @POTUS. Acosta says his resignation takes effect a week from today. pic.twitter.com/VZ4Wf6oJ9x
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) July 12, 2019
Trump announced to reporters today, Friday morning, that Acosta had called Trump to resign, saying it was Acosta's decision to leave — in other words, he wasn't fired.
Trump called Acosta a "great labor secretary, not a good one," saying he did a "very good job" during his tenure.
Julia Reinstein at Buzzfeed News:
Jeffrey Epstein — whose associates include President Trump, Prince Andrew, and Bill Clinton — was arrested on July 6 after being accused of running a sex trafficking ring and sexually abusing girls as young as 14.
He has been charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors. Prosecutors also say they found photos of naked young women inside a safe in his Manhattan mansion.
Back in 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to a charge of soliciting prostitution and served 13 months in jail. He was also required to register as a sex offender.
But he had initially been accused of sexually abusing and trafficking dozens of underage girls at his home in Palm Beach, Florida — charges for which he could have faced life in prison. However, as was first revealed in November by the Miami Herald, Acosta — who was then serving as the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida — offered Epstein a lenient plea deal.
The plea deal granted immunity to "any potential co-conspirators'' in Epstein's crimes, and it was concealed from his victims until approved by a judge.
[PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta speaking at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. Photo: Gage Skidmore, cc/by-sa/2.0/]
Pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 552, the Deputy Secretary of Labor, Patrick Pizzella, _automatically_ becomes Acting Secretary until and unless (1) he is no longer Deputy Secretary; or (2) the President nominates and the Senate confirms a new Secretary:https://t.co/jwwjm5jy50 pic.twitter.com/fkHYxFL9dU
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) July 12, 2019
Alex Acosta's two year reign as Trump's labor secretary is over. So get to know his replacement, Deputy Sec Pat Pizzella, a longtime friend of business, Republicans, and somebody named Jack Abramoff. https://t.co/VORNOmUpG4
— Ben Penn (@benjaminpenn) July 12, 2019
"I do not think it is right or fair" to have me as the focus, Labor secretary Alex Acosta says, in wake of controversy over how he handled case of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein over a decade ago when Acosta was a FL prosecutor. "I thought the right thing was to step aside."
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) July 12, 2019
Sexual assault involving CHILDREN is NOT a Democratic or Republican issue. This horrific crime doesn't discriminate based on political party. EVERYONE should be asking hard questions about this decisions made in this case…1/ https://t.co/hUpZyc9H1W
— julie k. brown (@jkbjournalist) July 11, 2019
Alex Acosta is out, Trump says. POTUS says it was Acosta's decision to resign as Labor Secretary. Appearing together on South Lawn.
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) July 12, 2019
A source close to President Trump tells me there is "zero" chance he fires Labor Secretary Alex Acosta over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. "Zero," they repeated.
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) July 10, 2019
BREAKING / NBC News: Former Palm Beach State Attorney Barry Krischer says in a statement that Alex Acosta is "completely wrong."
He says a 53 page federal indictment "was abandoned after secret negotiations between Mr. Epstein's lawyers and Mr. Acosta. " (h/t @MikeDelMoro )
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) July 10, 2019
"Alex Acosta failed at this fundamental responsibility of his position. The question, to which we still don't know the answer despite Wednesday's hourlong press conference, is why?"
— Mimi Rocah (@Mimirocah1) July 11, 2019
New Mexico authorities say they have opened an inquiry into possible crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein at his sprawling ranch east of Albuquerque. Epstein was not required to register as a sex offender in that state. https://t.co/AwInjzpS83
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 12, 2019
Alex Acosta is now the 14th cabinet member to resign/be fired since Trump took office:
-Tom Price
-Reince Priebus
-John Kelly
-Rex Tillerson
-David Shulkin
-Scott Pruitt
-Nikki Haley
-Jeff Sessions
-Ryan Zinke
-Jim Mattis
-Patrick Shanahan
-Linda McMahon
-Kirstjen Nielsen— Siraj Hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) July 12, 2019
