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Trump’s Labor Secretary Alex Acosta is stepping down amid backlash over Jeffrey Epstein plea deal

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Trump’s Labor Secretary Alex Acosta is stepping down amid backlash over Jeffrey Epstein plea deal
  • President Donald Trump’s embattled labor secretary, Alex Acosta, is stepping down amid backlash over a secret plea deal he orchestrated with the financier Jeffrey Epstein a decade ago.
  • Acosta signaled at a lengthy press conference earlier in the week that he would not step down, but it appears he’s changed his mind.
  • Acosta’s resignation will take effect next Friday.
  • Trump said that Patrick Pizzella, Acosta’s deputy, would serve as acting head of the department and came “highly recommended” by the departing labor secretary.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Labor Secretary Alex Acosta on Friday announced he’s resigning, just two days after a lengthy press conference in which he signaled he would not step down.

Acosta has been facing widespread calls to resign amid backlash over a secret plea deal he orchestrated for the financier Jeffrey Epstein roughly a decade ago. Epstein on Saturday night was arrested on accusations of sex trafficking.

President Donald Trump appeared with Acosta outside the White House on Friday to announce his resignation. Trump said that Acosta called him Friday morning and that the resignation was his decision, according to White House pool reports.

“I thought the right thing was to step aside,” Acosta told reporters, according to Bloomberg.

Trump said Patrick Pizzella, Acosta’s deputy, would serve as acting head of the department and came “highly recommended” by the departing labor secretary.

Read more: Here are all the politicians Jeffrey Epstein, the money manager arrested on charges of sex trafficking, has donated to

At his press conference earlier in the week, Acosta defended his role in the Epstein plea deal in 2008. Acosta was serving as the US attorney in Miami, and Epstein was facing allegations of sexually abusing more than 30 underage girls.

The multimillionaire financier could have faced life in prison, but after the deal with Acosta he spent only 13 months in jail — where he was allowed to leave 12 hours a day, six days a week, for work release — by pleading guilty to less serious charges related to prostitution.

Epstein’s victims in that case were not informed of the deal ahead of time, and in February a federal judge ruled that the Justice Department violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act by hiding a nonprosecution agreement with Epstein.

At Wednesday’s press conference, Acosta said he believed the deal had been appropriate at the time and offered no apology to the victims.

“The goal here was straightforward. Put Epstein behind bars, ensure he registered as a sexual offender, provide victims with a means to seek restitution, and protect the public by putting them on notice that a sexual predator was within their midst,” Acosta said.

“We believe we proceeded appropriately,” he added, while placing significant blame on state prosecutors whom he said wanted to let Epstein walk.

Acosta also defended the plea deal in a series of tweets earlier this week, in which he described the allegations against Epstein as “horrific.” He seemed to justify the lenient nature of the deal by citing “new evidence” that’s been found in the time since, linked to the charges dropped on Epstein in the past week.

“The crimes committed by Epstein are horrific, and I am pleased that NY prosecutors are moving forward with a case based on new evidence,” Acosta tweeted.

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Alex Acosta
Donald Trump
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