On Friday, July 12, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned from President Donald Trump's cabinet after continued scrutiny over his involvement in a 2008 plea deal for billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Acosta made the announcement while standing next to Trump, who said, “I hate to see this happen” about Acosta's decision and insisted he had nothing to do with it.

Acosta was appointed to the position of Secretary of Labor in 2017. Before that, between 2005 and 2009, he served as the U.S. Attorney for Southern Florida. It was during that time that he issued a plea deal to Epstein, reducing federal charges for the financier's alleged abuse of 36 teenage girls down to state charges, allowing Epstein to avoid federal prosecution. The deal was reached without the knowledge or consent of many of Epstein's alleged victims.

Years later, in 2018, a Miami Herald investigation revealed the specific details of the deal that Acosta made with Epstein, noting that it enabled Epstein to serve just 13 of an 18-month jail sentence. Now Epstein is facing new charges for sex trafficking and sex abuse, in New York and in Florida. Multiple women have come forward alleging that as minors, Epstein sexually abused them. Some women have also said claimed that Epstein let his wealthy friends, including Prince Andrew and lawyer Alan Dershowitz, allegedly abuse them as well. Andrew and Dershowitz have both denied these allegations.

Epstein has also been connected to President Trump and former President Bill Clinton, the latter of whom traveled with the billionaire around the world in the early 2000s. Both men have repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes, according to the New York Times. Epstein, who was arrested in New York on July 6, has pled not guilty to all charges brought against him. If convicted, he could face up to 45 years in jail.

Two days before Acosta's resignation, he gave a press conference defending his decision to cut Epstein such a lenient deal years ago. “We believe that we proceeded appropriately,” Acosta said on July 10, according to the Associated Press. “We did what we did because we wanted to see Epstein go to jail. He needed to go to jail.”

In a series of tweets posted the day before, Acosta condemned Epstein's alleged crimes, and thanked prosecutors for finding new evidence and building a stronger case against the billionaire.

"Now that new evidence and additional testimony is available, the NY prosecution offers an important opportunity to more fully bring him to justice," Acosta wrote.

The Secretary's resignation has prompted strong reactions from several Democratic politicians. Presidential candidate and Senator Elizabeth Warren simply wrote "Good" in response to a tweet announcing the news.

Beto O'Rourke, who is also running for president, condemned Acosta for his actions — but also wrote that he should never have been appointed to the role of Secretary of Labor in the first place.

Candidate and Senator Bernie Sanders echoed a similar sentiment in his own statement, adding that a Secretary of Labor should not put the needs of billionaires before working people.

As Secretary of Labor, Acosta oversaw a federal agency that enforces 180 federal laws concerning nearly 10 million employers and 125 employees, according to the Associated Press. His resignation will go into effect on July 19, after which time Acosta's Deputy Secretary, Patrick Pizzella will serve as the new acting Secretary of Labor, Trump announced during the Friday morning press conference. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned on Friday amid fresh scrutiny of his handling of the sex abuse case against financier Jeffrey Epstein, becoming President Donald Trump’s latest adviser to leave the administration in controversy.

Acosta, joining Trump at the White House before the president left for a trip to Wisconsin, said he did not want to be a distraction to the administration’s work because of his leadership of the Epstein case more than a decade ago.

“As I look forward, I do not think it is right and fair for this administration’s Labor Department to have Epstein as a focus rather than the incredible economy we have today,” Acosta said.

Trump, who has fired numerous cabinet and other administration officials during his 2 1/2 years in the White House, said it was Acosta’s idea to step down.

“Alex called me this morning and wanted to see me,” Trump told reporters. “I just want to let you know this is him, not me.”

Acosta’s resignation is effective in seven days. Trump named Deputy Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella as the acting secretary of Labor.

Acosta has served in Trump’s cabinet since April 2017 and from 2005 through 2009 was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida. It was there that he handled Epstein’s first case involving sex with girls, which resulted in a punishment that critics say was far too lenient.

“Mr. Acosta now joins the sprawling parade of President Trump’s chosen advisors who have left the administration under clouds of scandal and corruption, leaving rudderless and discouraged agencies in their wake. Taxpayers deserve better,” Democratic U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said in a statement.

Epstein, a billionaire hedge fund manager, pleaded not guilty to new federal charges in New York this week. Epstein had a social circle that over the years has included Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had called on Tuesday for Acosta to resign.

Acosta responded to the criticism on Tuesday with tweets saying Epstein’s crimes were “horrific” and that he was glad prosecutors were moving forward based on new evidence and testimony that could “more fully bring him to justice.”

On Wednesday Acosta held a news conference to defend his handling of the deal, which allowed Epstein to plead guilty to a state charge and not face federal prosecution. Acosta said Epstein would have had an even lighter sentence if not for the deal.

Acosta would not say if he would make the same decision regarding Epstein now, considering the power of the #MeToo movement that led to the downfall of several powerful men publicly accused of sex crimes by women.

U.S. prosecutors in New York on Monday accused Epstein, 66, of sex trafficking, luring dozens of girls, some as young as 14, to his luxury homes and coercing them into sex acts.

Democratic U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings, chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee who has called on Acosta to testify on the Epstein matter, said in a statement: “Secretary Acosta’s role in approving the extremely favorable deal for Jeffrey Epstein raises significant concerns about his failure to respect the rights of the victims, many of whom were children when they were assaulted.”

The federal prosecutors in New York said they were not bound by the deal arranged by Acosta, which allowed Epstein to plead to a lesser offense and serve 13 months in jail with leave during the day while registering as a sex offender.

In February, a federal judge in West Palm Beach, Florida, ruled that the 2007 agreement violated the victims’ rights. Epstein’s case and Acosta’s role in the plea deal had come under scrutiny earlier this year after an investigation by the Miami Herald.

The Epstein case came up during Acosta’s Senate confirmation hearing but the Republican-majority Senate approved him in a 60-38 vote.

He is the latest top Trump administration official to depart under a cloud. The heads of the Interior, Justice, State and Health departments have also either been fired or resigned, among other top staff during Trump tenure so far.

Acosta, the son of Cuban refugees and the first Hispanic member of Trump’s Cabinet, previously served on the National Labor Relations Board and in the U.S. Department of Justice under Republican President George W. Bush. </s> FILE- In this July 30, 2008 file photo, Jeffrey Epstein is shown in custody in West Palm Beach, Fla. Labor Secretary nominee Alexander Acosta is expected to face questions at his Senate confirmation hearing about an unusual plea deal he oversaw for Epstein, a Florida billionaire and sex offender, as U.S. attorney in Miami. Federal prosecutors say a once-secret plea deal reached over a decade ago with Epstein must stand, despite objections from many of his victims. Prosecutors said in a new court filing that a violation of the Crime Victims’ Rights Act does not allow for the agreement to be voided. (Uma Sanghvi/Palm Beach Post via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is stepping down following criticism of his handling of a plea deal with a wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.

Trump announced the news with Acosta by his side at the White House as Trump left on a trip to the Midwest.

Acosta says stepping aside was the right decision.

He was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw a 2008 nonprosecution agreement with Epstein. Epstein avoided federal charges and served 13 months in jail.

Similar charges recently filed against Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York had put Acosta’s role in the 2008 deal under renewed scrutiny. </s> Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced his decision to ask state police to take over a criminal investigation into Palm Beach officials’ handling of the extraordinarily lax plea deal given to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2008.

Epstein was arrested in early July on sex trafficking charges in New York, more than a decade after Florida went easy on him for similar offenses. Prosecutors in New York say Epstein has abused dozens of girls at properties he owns in Manhattan, Palm Beach, New Mexico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw opened an internal investigation into the department’s handling of the Epstein case last month, but he had faced mounting pressure to allow an outside agency to conduct it.

Bradshaw caved to his critics earlier Tuesday, sending a letter to the governor requesting that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement take over the criminal probe.

“Be rest assured as with any issue or concern that has crossed my desk over the past 15 years, I will strive for the truth, wherever that leads, to ensure justice is served and the public trust in our law enforcement agency is maintained,” Bradshaw told the governor.

Palm Beach officials began investigating Epstein in 2006 until the case was referred to the FBI, which filed a 53-page indictment against him. Then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, however, signed off on the cushy plea deal, allowing Epstein to plead guilty to lesser charges in a state court in Palm Beach. Acosta was forced to resign last month as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Labor amid intense public criticism of his actions.

The multimillionaire financier was housed in a private wing of the Palm Beach jail and allowed to leave for work up to 12 hours per day, six days per week; his personal driver would ferry him to and from a West Palm Beach office. DeSantis has requested that state police open a “preliminary inquiry” into the work release Epstein was given along with other “irregularities” surrounding the case.

As part of the deal, Epstein pleaded guilty to two counts related to solicitation of a minor for sex. A Miami Herald exposé published in November raised new questions about the case, including why the deal was kept secret from Epstein’s accusers until after it was signed. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta said Friday he is resigning following renewed scrutiny of his handling of a 2008 secret plea deal with wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein , who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.

President Donald Trump, with Acosta at his side, made the announcement as he left the White House for a trip to Wisconsin and Ohio. The president said “I hate to see this happen” and he did not ask Acosta to leave the Cabinet. But conservatives, who are unhappy with steps Acosta has taken at the department, had been pushing for his ouster.

Trump, who publicly faults the news media nearly every day, said Acosta put the blame there, too, for his departure.

The president tweeted from aboard Air Force One that Acosta “informed me this morning that he felt the constant drumbeat of press about a prosecution which took place under his watch more than 12 years ago was bad for the Administration, which he so strongly believes in, and he graciously tendered his resignation.”

Acosta was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw a 2008 non-prosecution agreement that allowed Epstein to avoid federal charges but plead guilty to state charges and serve 13 months in jail. Similar charges filed against Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York this week had put Acosta’s handling of the 2008 agreement with the now-jailed financier back in the spotlight.

Over the years, Epstein has counted Trump and former President Bill Clinton among his powerful friends, and Trump was quoted in 2002 as saying the financier was “a lot of fun to be with,” a “terrific guy” of whom “it is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” Trump now says he and Epstein had a falling-out and he is “not a fan.”

Acosta said his resignation would be effective in seven days. He said he didn’t think it was right for his handling of Epstein’s case to distract from the president’s agenda and his work as secretary of labor.

“My point here today is we have an amazing economy, and the focus needs to be on the economy,” Acosta said.

Top Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates had demanded that Acosta resign. But Acosta defended his actions, insisting at a news conference Wednesday that he got the toughest deal on Epstein that he could get at the time.

A federal judge said Acosta violated federal law by not notifying Epstein’s victims of the arrangement. The Justice Department has been investigating.

A Florida lawyer who represents several Epstein victims welcomed of Acosta’s resignation.

“Mr. Acosta broke the law when he was a U.S. attorney by failing to keep the victims informed about the negotiations taking place in 2008,” said attorney Spencer Kuvin. “We should never allow an official who has been held to break the law by a Federal Court, to hold an office in the president’s Cabinet. His resignation today is hopefully only the first step in holding those accountable.”

Acosta had also frustrated some conservatives who had been pushing for his ouster long before the Epstein uproar. Among their objections were Acosta’s decisions to proceed with several employment discrimination lawsuits and to allow certain Obama administration holdovers to keep their jobs.

Trump had initially defended Acosta but said he’d look “very closely” at his handling of the 2008 agreement.

The deal had come under scrutiny earlier this year following reporting by The Miami Herald.

Epstein, 66, reached the deal to secretly end a federal sex abuse investigation involving at least 40 teenage girls that could have landed him behind bars for life. He instead pleaded guilty to Florida state charges, spent 13 months in jail, paid settlements to victims and registered as a sex offender.

Acosta had attempted to clear his name, and held a news conference — encouraged by Trump — to defend his actions. In a 50-plus-minute lawyerly rebuttal, Acosta argued his office had secured the best deal it could at the time and had worked in the best interests of Epstein’s victims.

“We did what we did because we wanted to see Epstein go to jail,” he said. “We believe that we proceeded appropriately.”

Pressed on whether he had any regrets, Acosta repeatedly said circumstances had changed since then.

“We now have 12 years of knowledge and hindsight and we live in a very different world,” he said. “Today’s world treats victims very, very differently.”

After federal attorneys in New York announced the new charges against Epstein this week, Acosta tweeted that he was pleased by their decision.

“The crimes committed by Epstein are horrific,” Acosta tweeted. “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.”

Acosta took office as the nation’s 27th labor secretary in early 2017, leading a sprawling agency that enforces more than 180 federal laws covering about 10 million employers and 125 million workers. The department also plays a role in combatting human trafficking.

Trump said Acosta would be replaced by Pat Pizzella, currently the department’s deputy secretary.

Before he was named a U.S. attorney, Acosta was an assistant attorney general for the civil rights division in President George W. Bush’s first term. Before joining the Trump administration, Acosta was dean of the Florida International University law school.

___

 By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and JILL COLVIN Associated Press

AP Legal Affairs Writer Curt Anderson in Miami and Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report. </s> US Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned Friday, amid a backlash over a secret plea deal he negotiated a decade ago with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of sexually abusing young girls

Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 12th Jul, 2019 ) :US Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned Friday, amid a backlash over a secret plea deal he negotiated a decade ago with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of sexually abusing young girls.

"I called the president this morning and told him that I thought the right thing was to step aside," Acosta said in a joint appearance with President Donald Trump at the White House.

Acosta, 50, a former Federal prosecutor, has been facing mounting calls to resign over the deal that saw Epstein serve just 13 months in a county jail.

Trump said the decision to go came from Acosta, who telephoned the president Friday morning. He described Acosta as a "tremendous talent" and "great secretary of labor" who had done a "very good job." Epstein, 66, was charged on Monday by prosecutors in New York with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

Those charges carry a maximum of 45 years in prison.

According to prosecutors, Epstein sexually exploited dozens of underage teen girls at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida, between 2002 and 2005. Some were as young as 14.

Acosta fielded a barrage of questions Wednesday from reporters about his office's handling of the Epstein case when he was a federal prosecutor in Florida.

The deal reached with Epstein required him to admit a single state charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor and register as a sex offender.

Acosta said prosecutors agreed to the deal rather than take Epstein to trial on more serious charges because that would have been a "roll of the dice" </s> Updated at 10:22 a.m. ET

Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is stepping down after criticism over his role in a nonprosecution deal reached years ago with the well-connected businessman accused of sex crimes, Jeffrey Epstein.

Acosta appeared on Friday at the White House with President Trump and announced his resignation.

"I do not think it is fair for this administration's Labor Department to have Epstein as its focus rather than the incredible economy we have today," Acosta said. "The right thing was to step aside."

Acosta said his departure would be effective in one week.

Trump said Acosta had called him to convey his decision and the choice to step down had been Acosta's. The president praised Acosta as a "fantastic secretary of Labor" and "a tremendous talent. He's a Hispanic man; he went to Harvard."

Top Democrats in Congress had called for Acosta's removal in the wake of new charges against multimillionaire Epstein by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.

Epstein is accused of sexually abusing underage girls as young as 14, some of whom he allegedly recruited in what prosecutors called a sex trafficking network.

In 2008, then-U.S. Attorney Acosta oversaw an agreement that permitted Epstein to plead guilty to some related charges but which critics have since called far too lenient.

The Miami Herald detailed Acosta's handling of the Epstein case, and the account has drawn condemnations from victims' advocates and others.

Acosta gave his own account of the circumstances of that agreement in a news conference earlier this week. He said if his office hadn't stepped in, Epstein would have enjoyed an even lighter punishment at the hands of state or local authorities.

Acosta said it's always possible to look back and wish arrangements had been made differently, but he said his handling of the Epstein matter as U.S. attorney had worked out as well as it could have under the circumstances at the time.

House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings invited Acosta to testify on July 23 about the nonprosecution agreement.

It wasn't immediately clear on Friday whether the Oversight Committee would continue to ask Acosta to appear if he is out of government then.

Cummings and other House Democrats also sent a letter to the Office of Professional Responsibility at the Justice Department requesting a briefing about their investigation of the matter.

"There are significant concerns with Secretary Acosta's actions in approving an extremely favorable deal for an alleged sexual predator while concealing the deal from the victims of Mr. Epstein's crimes, which a judge found violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act," the lawmakers wrote.

In his news conference on July 10, Acosta said he was "pleased" that the Southern District of New York was moving forward with new charges.

"His acts are despicable," Acosta said. "Epstein's actions absolutely deserve a stiffer sentence."

Acosta was confirmed to President Trump's Cabinet in 2017 with a bipartisan vote of 60-38. During his time as head of the Labor Department, he has cut regulations and pushed for the expansion of apprenticeship programs.

Trump defended Acosta's role as labor secretary on July 9, saying he has been "really, really great."

"The rest of it, we will have to look at," the president added.

Acosta said on July 10 that his relationship with Trump is "outstanding." </s> FILE – In this Sept. 17, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump, left, and Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta listen during a meeting of the President’s National Council of the American Worker in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. The arrest of billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein on child sex trafficking charges is raising new questions about the future of Acosta as well as Epstein’s relationships with several major political figures, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trying to tamp down calls for his resignation, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta on Wednesday defended his handling of a sex trafficking case involving now-jailed financier Jeffrey Epstein, insisting he got the toughest deal he could at the time.

In a nearly hour-long news conference, Acosta retraced the steps that federal prosecutors took in the case when he was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida a decade ago, insisting that “in our heart we were trying to do the right thing for these victims.” He said prosecutors were working to avoid a more lenient arrangement that would have allowed Epstein to “walk free.”

“We believe that we proceeded appropriately,” he said, a contention challenged by critics who say Epstein’s penalty was egregiously light.

The episode reignited this week when federal prosecutors in New York brought a new round of child sex trafficking charges against the wealthy hedge fund manager. And on Wednesday, a new accuser stepped forward to say Epstein raped her in his New York mansion when she was 15.

Jennifer Araoz, now 32, told “Today” she never went to police because she feared retribution from the well-connected Epstein. She now has filed court papers seeking information from Epstein in preparation for suing him.

While the handling of the case arose during Acosta’s confirmation hearings, it has come under fresh and intense scrutiny after the prosecutors in New York brought their charges on Monday, alleging Epstein abused dozens of underage girls in the early 2000s, paying them hundreds of dollars in cash for massages, then molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York. Epstein has pleaded not guilty to the charges; if convicted he could be imprisoned for the rest of his life.

Acosta’s lawyerly presentation was an effort to push back against growing criticism of his work in a secret 2008 plea deal that let Epstein avoid federal prosecution on charges that he molested teenage girls. A West Palm Beach judge found this year that the deal had violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act because the victims were not informed or consulted.

He was also out to persuade President Donald Trump to keep him on the job as Democratic presidential candidates and party leaders called for his ouster.

Acosta insisted his office did the best it could under the circumstances a decade ago. He said state authorities had planned to go after Epstein with charges that would have resulted in no jail time until his office intervened and pressed for tougher consequences, a contention that is supported by the record. The alternative, he said, would have been for federal prosecutors to “roll the dice” and hope to win a conviction.

“We did what we did because we wanted to see Epstein go to jail,” Acosta said. “He needed to go to jail.”

But Epstein only was given 13 months in a work-release program, which let him work out of the jail six days a week. Acosta said it was “entirely appropriate” to be outraged about that leniency, but he blamed that on Florida authorities. “Everything the victims have gone through in these cases is horrific,” he said, while repeatedly refusing to apologize to them.

“I think it’s important to stand up for the prosecutors” in his old office, he said.

His account did not sit well with Barry Krischer, who was the Palm Beach County attorney during the case. Krischer, a Democrat, said Acosta “should not be allowed to rewrite history.”

Acosta’s South Florida office had gotten to the point of drafting an indictment that could have sent Epstein to federal prison for life. But it was never filed, leading to Epstein’s guilty plea to two state prostitution-related charges. In addition to the work-release jail sentence, Epstein was required to make payments to victims and register as a sex offender.

Krischer said the federal indictment was “abandoned after secret negotiations between Mr. Epstein’s lawyers and Mr. Acosta.” He added: “If Mr. Acosta was truly concerned with the State’s case and felt he had to rescue the matter, he would have moved forward with the 53-page indictment that his own office drafted.”

Acosta has said he welcomes the new case, and earlier defended himself on Twitter, crediting “new evidence and additional testimony” uncovered by prosecutors in New York for providing “an important opportunity to more fully bring him to justice.”

Pressed on whether he had any regrets, Acosta repeatedly suggested that circumstances had changed since the case arose. “We now have 12 years of knowledge and hindsight and we live in a very different world,” he said. “Today’s world treats victims very, very differently.”

Trump has, so far, also defended Acosta, praising his work as labor secretary and saying he felt “very badly” for him “because I’ve known him as being somebody that works so hard and has done such a good job.”

Though Trump may have made the tagline “You’re fired!” famous on his reality show “The Apprentice,” he has shown a pattern of reluctance to fire even his most embattled aides. Trump, for instance, took months to dismiss Scott Pruitt as Environmental Protection Agency administrator despite a dizzying array of scandals, and allowed Jeff Sessions to remain as attorney general for more than a year even as he railed at and belittled him.

Trump typically gives his Cabinet secretaries the opportunity to defend themselves publicly in interviews and press conferences before deciding whether to pull the plug. Indeed, he encouraged Acosta to hold Wednesday’s press conference laying out his thinking and involvement in the plea deal, according to a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Early reaction in the White House appeared to be positive, with one official saying the performance was likely enough to buy Acosta more time unless questions about his part in the 2008 case linger in the news. Vice President Mike Pence said he was “pleased to see Secretary Acosta step forward.”

Trump has his own long personal history with Epstein, but has dissociated himself from the wealthy hedge fund manager, saying this week the two had a falling out 15 or so years ago and haven’t spoken since.

Acosta told reporters that his relationship with Trump remains “outstanding,” but also noted that every member of Trump’s Cabinet serves at the president’s pleasure.

Democratic presidential contenders and party leaders have been calling for Acosta to resign or be fired, and he has been called to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee on July 23.Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, welcomed that move, saying Acosta “has a disturbing record on sexual and human trafficking that stretches from the horribly permissive plea agreement he gave to Jeffrey Epstein, up to his time now as Labor Secretary.”

Many Senate Republicans, meanwhile, have taken a wait-and-see approach.

Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Zeke Miller and Darlene Superville in Washington and Curt Anderson in Miami contributed to this report. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is resigning following criticism of his handling of a plea deal with a wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.

President Donald Trump announced the news Friday with Acosta by his side at the White House as Trump left on a trip to the Midwest.

Acosta says stepping aside was the right decision.

He was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw a 2008 nonprosecution agreement with Epstein. Epstein avoided federal charges and served 13 months in jail.

Similar charges recently filed against Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York had put Acosta’s role in the 2008 deal under renewed scrutiny.

Top Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates had demanded that Acosta resign.

Trump had defended Acosta but said he’d look “very closely” his handling of the 2008 agreement.

The deal came under scrutiny earlier this year following reporting by the Miami Herald. </s> Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in New Jersey on Saturday night, charged by federal prosecutors with one count of sex trafficking and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. The 66-year-old billionaire financier—who avoided federal criminal charges on similar counts in 2008—is expected to answer the new charges before a federal magistrate on Monday.

CBS Miami first reported that Epstein was arrested Saturday afternoon at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey under a sealed indictment. Per The Daily Beast, Epstein was apprehended by the FBI-NYPD Crimes Against Children Task Force for sexually exploiting numerous underage girls in his Upper East Side home and Palm Beach residence—soliciting massages and otherwise “molesting or sexually abusing” them. Epstein will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors, potentially carrying a maximum sentence of 45 years.

The allegations are comparable to those leveled against Epstein in 2007, charges for which he struck a deal that included pleading guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution, registering as a sex offender, and serving 13 months in a county jail that otherwise released him six days a week to work in his office. That plea was signed by then-Miami federal prosecutor Alexander Acosta, who now serves as Donald Trump’s labor secretary. In February, a Florida judge ruled that Acosta violated federal law by not disclosing Epstein’s nonprosecution agreement to his alleged victims. The Justice Department has also opened an investigation into possible prosecutorial misconduct regarding the nonprosecution agreement.

“It’s been a long time coming—it’s been too long coming,” attorney David Boies told The Daily Beast of Epstein’s arrest. Boies represents two of Epstein’s past accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Sarah Ransome. “We hope that prosecutors will not stop with Mr. Epstein because there were many other people who participated with him and made the sex trafficking possible,” Boies added.

The report also notes that Epstein’s employees and associates were allegedly complicit in recruiting the underage girls, and turned some of the girls into recruiters themselves. Epstein is also said to have been aware of their underage status throughout.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta announces his resignation from office amid growing public criticism over his past role in securing a 2008 plea deal for former financier Jeffrey Epstein, after Epstein was arrested and charged with sex trafficking of minors. He is to be replaced by Acting Secretary Patrick Pizzella effective July 19.