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U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein used to hang out together at Mar-a-Lago, where young women were allegedly recruited
into Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring. Flight records show that Trump had hitched a ride on Epstein’s private jet, dubbed the “Lolita Express.” And in 2016, a woman accused Trump of assaulting
her at Epstein’s New York City mansion. But if Epstein’s recent arrest on sex-trafficking charges takes down anyone in the Trump administration, it seems unlikely that it’ll be the guy at
the top. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta might not be as lucky. Over a decade ago, when Epstein first faced accusations of running a sex-trafficking ring that preyed on underage women,
Acosta was U.S. Attorney in Florida. His handling of Epstein’s case has come under renewed scrutiny following the wealthy money manager’s arrest over the weekend. Now, calls for his
resignation are accelerating. Can he survive? In 2007, Acosta cut a deal with Epstein’s attorneys allowing the accused child molester to escape federal charges that, according to the _Miami
Herald_, could have put him away for life. Instead, Epstein pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges and served 13 months in jail. The deal, according to the _Herald_, also “shut
down an ongoing FBI probe into whether there were more victims and other powerful people who took part in Epstein’s sex crimes.” The paper reports that the agreement Acosta struck with
Epstein’s lawyers was unusual in a few different ways. First, the non-prosecution agreement was kept secret from the victims. It also granted immunity to “any potential co-conspirators.”
Given the bold-faced names Epstein counted among his friends, that was an important clause. Acosta gave Epstein what many have called a sweetheart deal that not only allowed him to escape
serious federal charges, but made his 13-month jail stay as cushy as possible. Epstein, who had to register as a sex offender and pay restitution to his victims, served his time in a vacant
wing of the Palm Beach County Jail and was allowed to spend 12 hours a day, six days a week, working in his office. Acosta has defended the apparent special treatment given to the wealthy
and well-connected Epstein. In April, he told a House panel that Epstein “was going to get off with no jail time or restitution” without the deal Acosta struck. “It was the work of our
office that resulted in him going to jail,” he said. Acosta’s handling of the case also resulted in a rebuke from a federal judge. In February, District Judge Kenneth A. Marra ruled that
prosecutors in the Epstein case violated federal law by keeping his deal secret from his victims. The calls for Acosta to step down from the Labor Department began over the weekend, with
California congressman Ted Lieu asking on Twitter, “Why is Acosta still Labor Secretary?” On Monday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted her own call for Acosta’s resignation. >
.@SecretaryAcosta must step down. As US Attorney, he engaged in an > unconscionable agreement w/ Jeffrey Epstein kept secret from > courageous, young victims preventing them from
seeking justice. This > was known by @POTUS when he appointed him to the cabinet. > #AcostaResign > — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 9, 2019 By Tuesday, a handful of 2020
Democratic presidential candidates echoed her. > Alex Acosta should resign as Labor Secretary. We need leaders > committed to fighting for justice for survivors of abuse, not >
protecting predators. > — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 9, 2019 > I opposed Secretary Acosta's nomination, and voted against his > confirmation. The last few days have
only highlighted how ethically > compromised and unfit to serve he is. Acosta must resign—now. > https://t.co/0XPrLO4N9K > — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) July 9, 2019 > The abuse
of a child is one of the most heinous, despicable abuses > of power imaginable. It is inexcusably poor judgment for a US > Attorney to seek leniency for someone guilty of it. Secretary
Acosta > should provide his resignation immediately. > — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 9, 2019 > There are few crimes more horrendous than sexual violence against > minors—and
enabling that kind of predatory behavior is disgusting. > I voted against Alex Acosta's nomination because he should never > have been in a position of power in the first place.
He needs to > resign now. > — Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) July 9, 2019 While no congressional Republicans have said Acosta needs to go, acting White House chief of staff Mick
Mulvaney is reportedly pushing Trump to make the move. _Politico_ reports: > Mulvaney told Trump on Monday that the continuing drip of damaging > information surrounding the 2008
agreement Acosta struck to keep > billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein from a heavy jail sentence > would hurt the administration, according to two people familiar with > the
conversation. On Tuesday morning, Acosta broke his silence on the case and mounted a defense of his handling of the case. In three tweets, he wrote: > “The crimes committed by Epstein are
horrific, and I am pleased > that NY prosecutors are moving forward with a case based on new > evidence. 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.” Trump followed that by telling reporters that he feels “very badly” for Acosta, whom
he called “an excellent secretary of Labor.” By Wednesday though, Trump’s sympathy seemed to be waning as he pushed Acosta to defend himself to reporters in a hastily arranged press
conference. According to one report though, there’s “zero” chance Trump fires Acosta over this. > A source close to President Trump tells me there is “zero” > chance he fires Labor
Secretary Alex Acosta over his handling of the > Jeffrey Epstein case. “Zero,” they repeated. > — Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) July 10, 2019 Acosta’s role in the Epstein scandal is
drawing attention to other issues, like the employer-friendly policies he’s advanced as Labor secretary. As _New York_’s Sarah Jones wrote, “Whenever Acosta has an opportunity to deliver
justice to workers or to survivors of child sexual abuse, he sacrifices the weak to the powerful.” Another example emerged in a report from the_ Guardian_ Wednesday. In Acosta’s 2020 plans
for the Labor Department, he is “proposing 80 percent funding cuts for the government agency that combats child sex trafficking.” “This is now a pattern,” Massachusetts representative
Katherine Clark told the_ Guardian_. “Like so many in this administration, Mr. Acosta chooses the powerful and wealthy over the vulnerable and victims of sexual assault and it is time that
he finds another line of work.” RELATED