Labor Secretary Acosta Defends Himself on Epstein Connections

In the face of mounting calls for his resignation, Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta tweeted today a defense of his 2008 decision to reach a plea deal with disgraced hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein.

“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,” Acosta wrote on Twitter.

The secretary, who is said to be on thin ice at the White House amid new sex trafficking charges filed against Epstein in New York, added that he is “pleased” the New York federal prosecutors are now able to move forward “with a case based on new evidence.”

“The NY prosecution offers an important opportunity to more fully bring him to justice,” Acosta wrote in his third and final tweet.

The words mark rare public comments from a labor secretary who is under growing calls to resign from Democratic lawmakers. Epstein now faces federal charges, whereas Acosta, as a South Florida prosecutor, negotiated a plea deal for the financier with lesser state charges in 2008.

Epstein served 13 months in prison for the deal, and was released to go to his office six days a week. The new sex trafficking charges involving teens as young as 14 are similar in nature to the 2008 allegations. Epstein is now looking at 10 to 15 years in prison, at a minimum, if convicted.