Labor Secretary Alex Acosta Will Resign

Labor Secretary Alex Acosta is resigning amid questions over how he handled a plea deal for wealthy financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when Acosta was a federal prosecutor in South Florida.

President Donald Trump told reporters Friday morning that Acosta was stepping down.

What To Know

Acosta had faced criticism over a 2008 plea deal he arranged for Epstein, who pleaded guilty to two felony charges of solicitation of underage girls in a case that involved alleged abuse of underage girls. Acosta negotiated the plea deal without notifying Epstein's alleged victims. Epstein did serve a 13-month jail sentence in Palm Beach County, Fla., but was allowed to leave jail to work out of his office six days a week.

Acosta earlier this week defended his actions in the case, saying the goal at the time was simply to make sure Epstein served some jail time. Earlier this year, a federal judge found that prosecutors broke the law by negotiating the deal without notifying victims.

Trump said this week that he felt bad for Acosta, and praised the job the former federal prosecutor has done as secretary of labor. Trump said Friday that it was Acosta who decided to resign.

What's Next

Epstein now faces additional sex crime charges in New York, where he has been arrested.

Several Democratic lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, had called on Acosta to resign.

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