Posted on 07/12/2019 6:50:27 AM PDT by yesthatjallen
Alexander Acosta will step down as Labor secretary amid mounting scrutiny over his role in negotiating a plea deal for financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Acosta announced his resignation Friday, saying that he phoned President Trump that morning to tell him he was stepping aside because he does not want his handling of the Epstein plea agreement to consume the administration.
Acosta's support on Capitol Hill began to erode in the wake of new sex trafficking charges against Epstein in New York City. Numerous Democrats in the House and Senate had called for Acosta to resign or be fired from the Trump administration.
The situation became untenable for President Trump as his allies viewed the Labor secretary as a political liability.
Prosecutors alleged that Epstein, 66, engaged in sex acts with girls as young as 14 and had young women recruit other girls to be part of an alleged sex trafficking operation. Epstein has denied any wrongdoing.
The charges brought fresh attention to Acosta’s role as a U.S. attorney who oversaw a favorable plea deal for the wealthy financier years earlier in Florida.
The 2008 agreement allowed Epstein, a hedge fund manager, to avoid federal prosecution and a possible life sentence. Instead, Epstein pleaded guilty to state prostitution charges and served roughly a year in prison.
Acosta has defended the arrangement, arguing it ensured Epstein would spend at least some time in jail and would require him to register as a sex offender.
A federal judge ruled in February that prosecutors in the case violated the Crime Victims Rights Act by failing to inform Epstein’s victims about the plea deal. The handling of the matter is under review by the Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility.
Acosta was confirmed in April 2017 by a 60-38 vote and was the lone Latino member of Trump’s Cabinet. He was the president’s second choice to serve as Labor secretary after Andy Puzder withdrew from consideration in the face of ethics scandals.
Acosta was reportedly a source of frustration for some in the White House as he was slow to enact regulatory reforms sought by Trump and acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.
The only two that come to mind are McConnell’s Wife and some Dwarf Guy that worked for BJ Clinton.
Makes sense.
Trump was not expected to survive that. This was a major factor in everybody giving Trump essentially a zero chance of winning the election and might even be reason why Hillary's campaign took their foot off the gas and didn't even bother campaigning in battlegrounds like Michigan and Wisconsin.
The Hollywood Access tape was the thermonuclear bomb that was to deliver Hillary a guaranteed landslide victory. But they did not reckon on Trump fighting back - even as nearly the entire Republican establishment abandoned him (in cowardly fashion). Having that presser just before the 2nd debate with some of Bill Clinton's accusers was a stroke of brilliance and it took brass balls to pull off. j
Trump is one in a million. Probably the only person who could have beat Hillary that year. We were blessed and I truly hope that our reprieve from the Leftist march towards socialism and totalitarianism is not a temporary one.
So. Better that then leaving Acosta in the administration as a distraction. Maybe he thought the deal was good years ago but today it stinks. He’s an inept loser and good riddance to him. Trump needs to pick good, strong leaders who are above reproach.
Only two girls would testify then and several spoke adoringly of Jeffrey
You do know this right
The state passed on prosecuting
Acosta is a hero considering what he was up against
Bill’s mistresses didn’t attend any debate. Trump tried to make it happen, but it didn’t pan out.
“A” people hire “A” people.
“B” people hire “C” people.
How do you explain him not notifying the victims of the plea deal?
President should have never nominated him to begin with; then after it came out about Epstein during questioning before confirmation, still, allowed him to voted in.
First choice he had withdrew due to ethics issues. 2nd choice, high profile Pedophile case.
Who puts forth these names to President?
How do you explain he didn’t ?
He is on record on two would testify and had several who claimed they thought highly of Epstein
I’m sure the two willing to testify knew
Victims don’t have veto power over plea deals that I’m aware of
This case has reserved in a federal district. In NYC now why?
Does anyone know why?
It’s not about new allegations that I’m aware of.
I think some of the girls who are women now and didn’t want to testify then want justice or cash now
That’s a peculiar twist on double jeopardy unless it’s new allegations post his crimes then
Please, this guy sis totally complicit. He BROKE THE LAW.
Victims don’t have veto power over plea deals that I’m aware of
...
My understanding is the law required Acosta to notify the victims about the plea deal. He didn’t do it.
It seems ambiguous to me if they didn’t want to testify
The two willing to testify knew
The case in New York is new women btw
“Bill’s mistresses didn’t attend any debate.
I don’t know about his mistresses, but some of his victims did.
“When a lewd recording of Hillary’s opponent Donald Trump discussing the ability to grope women when in power was released during the campaign, Bill Clinton’s accusers, Broaddrick, Willey, and Jones, reemerged as critics of Hillary Clinton, accusing her of enabling her husband’s alleged sexual assaults on them. THEY APPEARED AS GUESTS AT THE SECOND 2016 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE and referenced Bill Clinton in pre-debate statements.”
The caption under a photo taken at a debate: “Kathleen Willey and Juanita Broaddrick sit at the presidential town hall debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in October 2016. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)”
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