FILE- In this July 30, 2008 file photo, Jeffrey Epstein is shown in custody in West Palm Beach, Fla. Labor Secretary nominee Alexander Acosta is expected to face questions at his Senate confirmation hearing about an unusual plea deal he oversaw for Epstein, a Florida billionaire and sex offender, as U.S. attorney in Miami. Federal prosecutors say a once-secret plea deal reached over a decade ago with Epstein must stand, despite objections from many of his victims. Prosecutors said in a new court filing that a violation of the Crime Victims’ Rights Act does not allow for the agreement to be voided. (Uma Sanghvi/Palm Beach Post via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is stepping down following criticism of his handling of a plea deal with a wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.

Trump announced the news with Acosta by his side at the White House as Trump left on a trip to the Midwest.

Acosta says stepping aside was the right decision.

He was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw a 2008 nonprosecution agreement with Epstein. Epstein avoided federal charges and served 13 months in jail.

Similar charges recently filed against Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York had put Acosta’s role in the 2008 deal under renewed scrutiny. </s> Trump Labor Secretary Acosta resigning after criticism over Epstein plea deal in sex case

The wealthy financier was arrested over the weekend and charged in the Southern District of New York with sex trafficking dozens of girls. </s> US Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned Friday, amid a backlash over a secret plea deal he negotiated a decade ago with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of sexually abusing young girls

Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 12th Jul, 2019 ) :US Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned Friday, amid a backlash over a secret plea deal he negotiated a decade ago with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of sexually abusing young girls.

"I called the president this morning and told him that I thought the right thing was to step aside," Acosta said in a joint appearance with President Donald Trump at the White House.

Acosta, 50, a former Federal prosecutor, has been facing mounting calls to resign over the deal that saw Epstein serve just 13 months in a county jail.

Trump said the decision to go came from Acosta, who telephoned the president Friday morning. He described Acosta as a "tremendous talent" and "great secretary of labor" who had done a "very good job." Epstein, 66, was charged on Monday by prosecutors in New York with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

Those charges carry a maximum of 45 years in prison.

According to prosecutors, Epstein sexually exploited dozens of underage teen girls at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida, between 2002 and 2005. Some were as young as 14.

Acosta fielded a barrage of questions Wednesday from reporters about his office's handling of the Epstein case when he was a federal prosecutor in Florida.

The deal reached with Epstein required him to admit a single state charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor and register as a sex offender.

Acosta said prosecutors agreed to the deal rather than take Epstein to trial on more serious charges because that would have been a "roll of the dice" </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is resigning following criticism of his handling of a plea deal with a wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.

President Donald Trump announced the news Friday with Acosta by his side at the White House as Trump left on a trip to the Midwest.

Acosta says stepping aside was the right decision.

He was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw a 2008 nonprosecution agreement with Epstein. Epstein avoided federal charges and served 13 months in jail.

Similar charges recently filed against Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York had put Acosta’s role in the 2008 deal under renewed scrutiny.

Top Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates had demanded that Acosta resign.

Trump had defended Acosta but said he’d look “very closely” his handling of the 2008 agreement.

The deal came under scrutiny earlier this year following reporting by the Miami Herald. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned on Friday amid fresh scrutiny of his handling of the sex abuse case against financier Jeffrey Epstein, becoming President Donald Trump’s latest adviser to leave the administration in controversy.

Acosta, joining Trump at the White House before the president left for a trip to Wisconsin, said he did not want to be a distraction to the administration’s work because of his leadership of the Epstein case more than a decade ago.

“As I look forward, I do not think it is right and fair for this administration’s Labor Department to have Epstein as a focus rather than the incredible economy we have today,” Acosta said.

Trump, who has fired numerous cabinet and other administration officials during his 2 1/2 years in the White House, said it was Acosta’s idea to step down.

“Alex called me this morning and wanted to see me,” Trump told reporters. “I just want to let you know this is him, not me.”

Acosta’s resignation is effective in seven days. Trump named Deputy Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella as the acting secretary of Labor.

Acosta has served in Trump’s cabinet since April 2017 and from 2005 through 2009 was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida. It was there that he handled Epstein’s first case involving sex with girls, which resulted in a punishment that critics say was far too lenient.

“Mr. Acosta now joins the sprawling parade of President Trump’s chosen advisors who have left the administration under clouds of scandal and corruption, leaving rudderless and discouraged agencies in their wake. Taxpayers deserve better,” Democratic U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said in a statement.

Epstein, a billionaire hedge fund manager, pleaded not guilty to new federal charges in New York this week. Epstein had a social circle that over the years has included Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had called on Tuesday for Acosta to resign.

Acosta responded to the criticism on Tuesday with tweets saying Epstein’s crimes were “horrific” and that he was glad prosecutors were moving forward based on new evidence and testimony that could “more fully bring him to justice.”

On Wednesday Acosta held a news conference to defend his handling of the deal, which allowed Epstein to plead guilty to a state charge and not face federal prosecution. Acosta said Epstein would have had an even lighter sentence if not for the deal.

Acosta would not say if he would make the same decision regarding Epstein now, considering the power of the #MeToo movement that led to the downfall of several powerful men publicly accused of sex crimes by women.

U.S. prosecutors in New York on Monday accused Epstein, 66, of sex trafficking, luring dozens of girls, some as young as 14, to his luxury homes and coercing them into sex acts.

Democratic U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings, chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee who has called on Acosta to testify on the Epstein matter, said in a statement: “Secretary Acosta’s role in approving the extremely favorable deal for Jeffrey Epstein raises significant concerns about his failure to respect the rights of the victims, many of whom were children when they were assaulted.”

The federal prosecutors in New York said they were not bound by the deal arranged by Acosta, which allowed Epstein to plead to a lesser offense and serve 13 months in jail with leave during the day while registering as a sex offender.

In February, a federal judge in West Palm Beach, Florida, ruled that the 2007 agreement violated the victims’ rights. Epstein’s case and Acosta’s role in the plea deal had come under scrutiny earlier this year after an investigation by the Miami Herald.

The Epstein case came up during Acosta’s Senate confirmation hearing but the Republican-majority Senate approved him in a 60-38 vote.

He is the latest top Trump administration official to depart under a cloud. The heads of the Interior, Justice, State and Health departments have also either been fired or resigned, among other top staff during Trump tenure so far.

Acosta, the son of Cuban refugees and the first Hispanic member of Trump’s Cabinet, previously served on the National Labor Relations Board and in the U.S. Department of Justice under Republican President George W. Bush. </s> Updated at 10:22 a.m. ET

Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is stepping down after criticism over his role in a nonprosecution deal reached years ago with the well-connected businessman accused of sex crimes, Jeffrey Epstein.

Acosta appeared on Friday at the White House with President Trump and announced his resignation.

"I do not think it is fair for this administration's Labor Department to have Epstein as its focus rather than the incredible economy we have today," Acosta said. "The right thing was to step aside."

Acosta said his departure would be effective in one week.

Trump said Acosta had called him to convey his decision and the choice to step down had been Acosta's. The president praised Acosta as a "fantastic secretary of Labor" and "a tremendous talent. He's a Hispanic man; he went to Harvard."

Top Democrats in Congress had called for Acosta's removal in the wake of new charges against multimillionaire Epstein by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.

Epstein is accused of sexually abusing underage girls as young as 14, some of whom he allegedly recruited in what prosecutors called a sex trafficking network.

In 2008, then-U.S. Attorney Acosta oversaw an agreement that permitted Epstein to plead guilty to some related charges but which critics have since called far too lenient.

The Miami Herald detailed Acosta's handling of the Epstein case, and the account has drawn condemnations from victims' advocates and others.

Acosta gave his own account of the circumstances of that agreement in a news conference earlier this week. He said if his office hadn't stepped in, Epstein would have enjoyed an even lighter punishment at the hands of state or local authorities.

Acosta said it's always possible to look back and wish arrangements had been made differently, but he said his handling of the Epstein matter as U.S. attorney had worked out as well as it could have under the circumstances at the time.

House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings invited Acosta to testify on July 23 about the nonprosecution agreement.

It wasn't immediately clear on Friday whether the Oversight Committee would continue to ask Acosta to appear if he is out of government then.

Cummings and other House Democrats also sent a letter to the Office of Professional Responsibility at the Justice Department requesting a briefing about their investigation of the matter.

"There are significant concerns with Secretary Acosta's actions in approving an extremely favorable deal for an alleged sexual predator while concealing the deal from the victims of Mr. Epstein's crimes, which a judge found violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act," the lawmakers wrote.

In his news conference on July 10, Acosta said he was "pleased" that the Southern District of New York was moving forward with new charges.

"His acts are despicable," Acosta said. "Epstein's actions absolutely deserve a stiffer sentence."

Acosta was confirmed to President Trump's Cabinet in 2017 with a bipartisan vote of 60-38. During his time as head of the Labor Department, he has cut regulations and pushed for the expansion of apprenticeship programs.

Trump defended Acosta's role as labor secretary on July 9, saying he has been "really, really great."

"The rest of it, we will have to look at," the president added.

Acosta said on July 10 that his relationship with Trump is "outstanding." </s> (07/12/19) - President Donald Trump says Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is stepping down following criticism of his handling of a plea deal with a wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.

Trump announced the news with Acosta by his side at the White House as Trump left on a trip to the Midwest.

Acosta says stepping aside was the right decision.

He was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw a 2008 nonprosecution agreement with Epstein. Epstein avoided federal charges and served 13 months in jail.

Similar charges recently filed against Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York had put Acosta's role in the 2008 deal under renewed scrutiny.

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta said Friday he is resigning following renewed scrutiny of his handling of a 2008 secret plea deal with wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein , who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.

President Donald Trump, with Acosta at his side, made the announcement as he left the White House for a trip to Wisconsin and Ohio. The president said “I hate to see this happen” and he did not ask Acosta to leave the Cabinet. But conservatives, who are unhappy with steps Acosta has taken at the department, had been pushing for his ouster.

Trump, who publicly faults the news media nearly every day, said Acosta put the blame there, too, for his departure.

The president tweeted from aboard Air Force One that Acosta “informed me this morning that he felt the constant drumbeat of press about a prosecution which took place under his watch more than 12 years ago was bad for the Administration, which he so strongly believes in, and he graciously tendered his resignation.”

Acosta was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw a 2008 non-prosecution agreement that allowed Epstein to avoid federal charges but plead guilty to state charges and serve 13 months in jail. Similar charges filed against Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York this week had put Acosta’s handling of the 2008 agreement with the now-jailed financier back in the spotlight.

Over the years, Epstein has counted Trump and former President Bill Clinton among his powerful friends, and Trump was quoted in 2002 as saying the financier was “a lot of fun to be with,” a “terrific guy” of whom “it is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” Trump now says he and Epstein had a falling-out and he is “not a fan.”

Acosta said his resignation would be effective in seven days. He said he didn’t think it was right for his handling of Epstein’s case to distract from the president’s agenda and his work as secretary of labor.

“My point here today is we have an amazing economy, and the focus needs to be on the economy,” Acosta said.

Top Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates had demanded that Acosta resign. But Acosta defended his actions, insisting at a news conference Wednesday that he got the toughest deal on Epstein that he could get at the time.

A federal judge said Acosta violated federal law by not notifying Epstein’s victims of the arrangement. The Justice Department has been investigating.

A Florida lawyer who represents several Epstein victims welcomed of Acosta’s resignation.

“Mr. Acosta broke the law when he was a U.S. attorney by failing to keep the victims informed about the negotiations taking place in 2008,” said attorney Spencer Kuvin. “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. His resignation today is hopefully only the first step in holding those accountable.”

Acosta had also frustrated some conservatives who had been pushing for his ouster long before the Epstein uproar. Among their objections were Acosta’s decisions to proceed with several employment discrimination lawsuits and to allow certain Obama administration holdovers to keep their jobs.

Trump had initially defended Acosta but said he’d look “very closely” at his handling of the 2008 agreement.

The deal had come under scrutiny earlier this year following reporting by The Miami Herald.

Epstein, 66, reached the deal to secretly end a federal sex abuse investigation involving at least 40 teenage girls that could have landed him behind bars for life. He instead pleaded guilty to Florida state charges, spent 13 months in jail, paid settlements to victims and registered as a sex offender.

Acosta had attempted to clear his name, and held a news conference — encouraged by Trump — to defend his actions. In a 50-plus-minute lawyerly rebuttal, Acosta argued his office had secured the best deal it could at the time and had worked in the best interests of Epstein’s victims.

“We did what we did because we wanted to see Epstein go to jail,” he said. “We believe that we proceeded appropriately.”

Pressed on whether he had any regrets, Acosta repeatedly said circumstances had changed since then.

“We now have 12 years of knowledge and hindsight and we live in a very different world,” he said. “Today’s world treats victims very, very differently.”

After federal attorneys in New York announced the new charges against Epstein this week, Acosta tweeted that he was pleased by their decision.

“The crimes committed by Epstein are horrific,” Acosta tweeted. “With the evidence available more than a decade ago, federal prosecutors insisted that Epstein go to jail, register as a sex offender and put the world on notice that he was a sexual predator.”

“Now that new evidence and additional testimony is available, the NY prosecution offers an important opportunity to more fully bring him to justice.”

Acosta took office as the nation’s 27th labor secretary in early 2017, leading a sprawling agency that enforces more than 180 federal laws covering about 10 million employers and 125 million workers. The department also plays a role in combatting human trafficking.

Trump said Acosta would be replaced by Pat Pizzella, currently the department’s deputy secretary.

Before he was named a U.S. attorney, Acosta was an assistant attorney general for the civil rights division in President George W. Bush’s first term. Before joining the Trump administration, Acosta was dean of the Florida International University law school.

___

 By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and JILL COLVIN Associated Press

AP Legal Affairs Writer Curt Anderson in Miami and Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report. </s> On Friday, July 12, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned from President Donald Trump's cabinet after continued scrutiny over his involvement in a 2008 plea deal for billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Acosta made the announcement while standing next to Trump, who said, “I hate to see this happen” about Acosta's decision and insisted he had nothing to do with it.

Acosta was appointed to the position of Secretary of Labor in 2017. Before that, between 2005 and 2009, he served as the U.S. Attorney for Southern Florida. It was during that time that he issued a plea deal to Epstein, reducing federal charges for the financier's alleged abuse of 36 teenage girls down to state charges, allowing Epstein to avoid federal prosecution. The deal was reached without the knowledge or consent of many of Epstein's alleged victims.

Years later, in 2018, a Miami Herald investigation revealed the specific details of the deal that Acosta made with Epstein, noting that it enabled Epstein to serve just 13 of an 18-month jail sentence. Now Epstein is facing new charges for sex trafficking and sex abuse, in New York and in Florida. Multiple women have come forward alleging that as minors, Epstein sexually abused them. Some women have also said claimed that Epstein let his wealthy friends, including Prince Andrew and lawyer Alan Dershowitz, allegedly abuse them as well. Andrew and Dershowitz have both denied these allegations.

Epstein has also been connected to President Trump and former President Bill Clinton, the latter of whom traveled with the billionaire around the world in the early 2000s. Both men have repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes, according to the New York Times. Epstein, who was arrested in New York on July 6, has pled not guilty to all charges brought against him. If convicted, he could face up to 45 years in jail.

Two days before Acosta's resignation, he gave a press conference defending his decision to cut Epstein such a lenient deal years ago. “We believe that we proceeded appropriately,” Acosta said on July 10, according to the Associated Press. “We did what we did because we wanted to see Epstein go to jail. He needed to go to jail.”

In a series of tweets posted the day before, Acosta condemned Epstein's alleged crimes, and thanked prosecutors for finding new evidence and building a stronger case against the billionaire.

"Now that new evidence and additional testimony is available, the NY prosecution offers an important opportunity to more fully bring him to justice," Acosta wrote.

The Secretary's resignation has prompted strong reactions from several Democratic politicians. Presidential candidate and Senator Elizabeth Warren simply wrote "Good" in response to a tweet announcing the news.

Beto O'Rourke, who is also running for president, condemned Acosta for his actions — but also wrote that he should never have been appointed to the role of Secretary of Labor in the first place.

Candidate and Senator Bernie Sanders echoed a similar sentiment in his own statement, adding that a Secretary of Labor should not put the needs of billionaires before working people.

As Secretary of Labor, Acosta oversaw a federal agency that enforces 180 federal laws concerning nearly 10 million employers and 125 employees, according to the Associated Press. His resignation will go into effect on July 19, after which time Acosta's Deputy Secretary, Patrick Pizzella will serve as the new acting Secretary of Labor, Trump announced during the Friday morning press conference.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta announces his resignation from office amid growing public criticism over his past role in securing a 2008 plea deal for former financier Jeffrey Epstein, after Epstein was arrested and charged with sex trafficking of minors. He is to be replaced by Acting Secretary Patrick Pizzella effective July 19.