Acosta resigns amid fallout over Epstein
WASHINGTON – Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned amid the fallout over a plea deal he made with wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, a sex offender charged with human trafficking of girls as young as 14.
President Donald Trump announced Acosta’s resignation Friday with Acosta at his side. Trump said the secretary called him Friday morning to say that the decision to resign was his.
“I thought the right thing was to step aside,” Acosta said. “I do not think it is right and fair for this administration’s Labor Department to have Epstein as the focus rather than the incredible economy that we have today.”
In a tweet, Trump said Acosta “felt the constant drumbeat of press” about the Epstein case and decided it “was bad for the Administration.”
Trump praised him as a “great labor secretary, not a good one.”
The White House said Acosta’s deputy, Patrick Pizzella, would be the acting labor secretary.
Acosta, formerly a federal prosecutor, had defended his handling of the 2007 case and said he was “pleased” prosecutors were moving forward against Epstein, who pleaded not guilty Monday to sex trafficking charges. The indictment alleges he “sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls at his homes” in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida.
At his news conference Wednesday, Acosta said Epstein would not have gone to jail without the plea deal.
“The goal here was straightforward – put Epstein behind bars,” Acosta said. “We believe we proceeded appropriately.”
A Miami Herald investigation in November 2018 revealed that Acosta, as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, had been directly involved in negotiating the 2007 deal with Epstein’s lawyers. The wealthy and influential hedge fund manager agreed to plead guilty to two state felony prostitution charges, pay restitution to his victims, register as a sex offender and serve 13 months in county jail.
In February, a federal judge ruled Acosta had broken the law in negotiating the plea agreement by not notifying Epstein’s underage victims about the deal.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said the secretary should never have been appointed by Trump and confirmed by the Senate. “Thank God he’s gone,” she said.
“We should never allow an official who has been held to break the law by a federal court, to hold an office in the president’s Cabinet,” said Spencer Kuvin, a Florida lawyer who represents several Epstein victims. “His resignation today is hopefully only the first step in holding those accountable.”
Trump had defended Acosta, saying he feels “very badly” for him.
“I do hear there were a lot of people involved in that decision, not just him,” the president said Tuesday.
Epstein is known for his ties to powerful figures such as Trump and former President Bill Clinton. However, Trump has tried to distance himself from Epstein. On Tuesday, he said the multimillionaire was a fixture in Palm Beach and that he knew him, but said they had a falling out about 15 years ago.
In 2002, about three years before investigators opened their first probe into Epstein, Trump told New York Magazine he had known Epstein for 15 years. Trump called Epstein a “terrific guy” and said, “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it – Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
Acosta was sworn in as Trump’s labor secretary on April 28, 2017.