White House saw Acosta’s resignation as a way to distance Trump from growing Epstein case
When Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta offered his resignation on Friday in an early morning call with President Donald Trump, his boss offered sympathy, inviting him over to the White House to announce the news together to the news media.
It was a rare, dignified exit for a Cabinet secretary in Trump’s administration, and for one leaving amid controversy over his handling of the case of accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
They emerged side by side on the South Lawn of the White House just past 9:30 a.m. “It would be selfish for me to stay in this position and to continue talking about a case that is 12 years old rather than the incredible economy we have now,” Acosta said, “and so I submitted my resignation.”
The resignation came two days after Acosta held a news conference in which he defended his conduct as a federal prosecutor in South Florida in 2007, when he presided over the negotiation of a non-prosecution agreement with Epstein’s attorneys.
Trump kept his opinion largely to himself over Acosta’s performance at the Wednesday news conference, a senior administration official said. But Trump was asking aides and confidantes how they thought Acosta did.
The sense among the president’s aides was that, regardless of Acosta’s reviews, the story of Epstein — who was indicted by federal prosecutors in New York on Monday on charges of sex trafficking — would not end any time soon because of the ongoing case in Manhattan, two administration officials told McClatchy.
Acosta’s departure untethers the Epstein saga from the Trump administration, save for the Justice Department’s handling of the New York case and those continuing to investigate Trump’s personal relationship, dating back decades, with Epstein.
“I haven’t spoken to him in 15 years or more,” the president said, standing beside Acosta. “I wasn’t a big fan of Jeffrey Epstein, that I can tell you.”
White House sources emphasized that Acosta’s decision to resign was his alone but did not express surprise.
Democrats increased pressure on the administration throughout the week, sending letters to the Justice and Labor Departments asking for a briefing on the 2007 Epstein agreement and for Acosta to testify this month.
“We are abhorred by reports of Mr. Epstein’s repeated and longstanding sexual abuse of young girls,” leadership of the House Judiciary Committee wrote to the deputy attorney general on Thursday. “Investigative reporting by the Miami Herald details Mr. Epstein’s alleged abuse of at least three dozen girls in his Florida and New York homes forcing them to engage in sex acts and coercing them to recruit future victims.”
David Lightman, Lesley Clark and Alex Daugherty contributed to this report.
Michael Wilner: 2023836083, @mawilner