Alexander Acosta, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Labor Department, received high praise from Sen. Mike Lee, the Utah conservative who never endorsed Trump. “I love the guy,” Lee told the Washington Examiner on Thursday. “He’s a former Alito clerk, along with me, and I really like him. He’s a good strong conservative, understands the law. [He’s as] smart as the day is long, and I think he’ll be fantastic.”
Following an editorial board meeting with the Examiner, Lee walked into our lobby to shoot a video. Turning to a TV screen that showed Trump’s soon-to-begin press conference, Lee found out that the Acosta pick was official.
“Oh! Acosta!” he exclaimed. “I saw that picture up there earlier and thought, ‘That guy looks like Alex Acosta!'”
Like Lee, Acosta clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito when Alito was still serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit Court.
Along with a strong law background, Lee said Acosta would be good on economics: “He’s also a believer in the free market. He understands that free markets need to be able to operate. One of the things that makes our economy robust, one of the things that has made our middle-class the strongest in the world is the ability of individuals to interact in a free market society.”
“He’s a good man,” Lee said. “He’s a lawyer and a really good one. He’s a hard-working lawyer. He’s one of these people who will study the law and understand what is within his power and what isn’t. He’ll be a straight shooter. He’ll call the balls and strikes as he sees them.”
Jason Russell is the contributors editor for the Washington Examiner.
