Democratic Congressional leaders have called on Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to resign after new facts emerged about the leniency he offered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while Acosta was the U.S. attorney in Miami. Prosecutors in New York City issued new sex trafficking charges against Epstein this week which involve young women and underage girls.
“It is now impossible for anyone to have confidence in Secretary Acosta’s ability to lead the Department of Labor,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said yesterday. “If he refuses to resign, President Trump should fire him.”
“@SecretaryAcosta must step down. As US Attorney, he engaged in an unconscionable agreement w/ Jeffrey Epstein kept secret from courageous, young victims preventing them from seeking justice. This was known by @POTUS when he appointed him to the cabinet. #AcostaResign,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote on Twitter.
The accusations stem from a plea deal Acosta’s office offered Epstein in 2008. Epstein could have faced a life sentence for his crimes but instead served 13 months, much of it under work release.
Epstein is a very wealthy hedge fund manager and is connected to some of richest and most powerful figures in the world. He is known to have been friendly with President Trump, former President Bill Clinton as well as the Duchess of York.
Photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr