Labor Secretary Alex Acosta has resigned over the fallout of the arrest of Jeffrey Epstein on sex trafficking charges, as Reuters reports:
“President Donald Trump said on Friday that Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta has tendered his resignation and will be temporarily replaced by Deputy Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella.
Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said he believed Acosta had done a good job but the Labor secretary decided he had become a distraction to the administration over how he handled the sexual assault case of financier Jeffrey Epstein as a prosecutor a decade ago.”
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Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is resigning from President Donald Trump’s Cabinet amid scrutiny of his handling of a secret 2008 plea deal with financier Jeffrey Epstein, who’s been accused of sexually abusing underage girls.https://t.co/rYY75pbwoE
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 12, 2019
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BREAKING: Embattled Labor Secretary Acosta has just announced he is stepping down from his post. He was facing intense scrutiny over his handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s 2008 plea deal https://t.co/u55cV9twDo pic.twitter.com/laTurdutJ8
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 12, 2019
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Here’s some background via the Daily Mail:
Of particular importance to your office’s inquiry into the conduct of Florida DOJ attorneys, SDNY attorneys have also alleged additional unconscionable and illegal activity by Epstein and his lawyers in their successful efforts to smother the initial prosecution in the Southern District of Florida, including ‘witness tampering, harassment, or other obstructive behaviors,” the senators wrote the head of DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility.
They then referenced recent filings in the Souther District of New York.
‘In its bail memorandum, SDNY attorneys cite discussions between Epstein’s lawyers and the Florida DOJ lawyers that demonstrate DOJ knew at the time about issues of obstruction, harassment, and witness tampering,’ they continue. ‘Then-United States Attorney Alexander Acosta subsequently did not bring charges for these offenses, once again illustrating the inequities in our justice system in favor of the rich and powerful.’
This is a developing story and we’ll update as we know more.
