U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta makes a statement on his involvement in a non-prosecution agreement with financier Jeffrey Epstein, who has now been charged with sex trafficking in underage girls, during a news conference at the Labor Department in Washington, U.S., July 10, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta on Wednesday dismissed calls for his resignation and defended a controversial non-prosecution agreement he approved more than 10 years ago with financier Jeffrey Epstein, who has now been charged with sex trafficking in underage girls.
Acosta, who was a top U.S. prosecutor in Florida at the time, has been the target of criticism that his office approved a lenient deal for Epstein, which has received renewed attention in the wake of new charges filed against Epstein this week. Instead of prosecuting Epstein on a federal level, Acosta's office agreed to have the billionaire ink a plea deal with state prosecutors that resulted in a lax sentence.
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