Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta will hold a press conference over convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s controversial 2008 non-prosecution agreement.
Acosta helped negotiate the agreement as the lead prosecutor on Epstein’s case. The now 66-year-old agreed to plead guilty to several counts of underage prostitution and pay settlements to dozens of his alleged victims. Epstein became a registered sex offender and spent 13 months in county jail. During his stint in jail, Epstein was allowed to leave his cell for his office in Palm Beach for 12 hours a day, six days a week.
A joint FBI-New York Police Department force arrested Epstein on Saturday and charged him with sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. The arrest and extensive investigative journalism by the Miami Herald has brought Acosta’s agreement back into the spotlight. Several top Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have called for Acosta to resign.
President Trump has so far stood by Acosta. The Department of Justice is probing the 2008 non-prosecution agreement and the findings could impact the president’s decision to continue protecting his labor secretary.
Acosta’s press conference is expected to start at 2:30 p.m.
