NEW: Embattled Alex Acosta defends his handling of Jeffrey Epstein plea deal: 'Times have changed' by writerknowles
Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, under fire for his handling of a case against accused child predator Jeffrey Epstein when he was a federal prosecutor in Florida, held a press conference in Washington Wednesday to defend his actions in the 2008 case, which resulted in what observers have described as a shockingly lenient sentence.
Acosta said the Florida justice system was responsible forthe light sentence given Epstein — 18 months, of which he only served 13 . “The outrage over that is entirely appropriate,” he said. Throughout the news conference, Acosta repeatedly declined to apologize to Epstein’s child victims, instead reflecting on the difficulty of watching the videotaped statements victims had made recounting the abuse they suffered.
Since Epstein was charged in New York on Monday with abusing more than 100 young girls at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Fla., Democrats including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have called for Acosta’s resignation.In 2007, a 53-page federal indictment brought by Acosta’s office accused Epstein of trafficking underage girls for sex parties. Epstein faced a possible sentence that could have kept him in prison for the rest of his life.
In defiance of the law, Acosta’s office kept the agreement secret from Epstein’s victims. At his press conference, Acosta explained that the agreement provided that Epstein would pay the legal costs of victims who sued him, and that he was concerned the case would be tainted if the witnesses against Epstein knew they could receive compensation.
“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York magazine. “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.”
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