At first I thought I was sitting on blockbuster news which turned out to be a “nothing burger.” The former US Attorney Mimi Rocah refers to the 2008 Miami prosecutor Acosta when she meant to write Epstein in the following tweet, dated 7/9/2019. She later fixed error.
“The cache of photos, some of which were discovered in a locked safe that also contained CDs with labels like “Girl pics nude,” demonstrate the predatory attitude that Mr. Epstein continues to have toward young women, prosecutors said.”
“This is not an individual who has left his past behind,” Mr. Rossmiller said.”
“In the hours since Mr. Epstein’s arrest, prosecutors said, several other women contacted them with complaints about Mr. Epstein. Some of those accusers had never previously spoken to the government, prosecutors said.”
“The plea deal ― and the role Acosta played in it ― has come under renewed scrutiny in recent days following the decision by federal prosecutors in New York to revive the sex crimes case against Epstein. ”
“Epstein, 66, who was arrested in New Jersey on Saturday, faces new charges accusing him of operating a sex trafficking scheme in Manhattan and Palm Beach between 2002 to 2005. Prosecutors claim Epstein “sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls,” some as young as 14, by “enticing them to engage in sex acts with him in exchange for money.” Epstein, they said, “perpetuated this abuse in similar ways” in both New York and Florida. ”
“Following the unsealing of the new charges, to which Epstein pleaded not guilty on Monday, several Democratic lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), called for Acosta to step down.”
“Pelosi said Acosta, who has served as Trump’s labor secretary since 2017, “engaged in an unconscionable agreement” with Epstein ― a deal she noted had been kept secret from his victims. ”
“This was known by [President Trump] when he appointed him to the Cabinet,” Pelosi added.
Nancy Pelosi✔@SpeakerPelosi
.@SecretaryAcosta must step down. As US Attorney, he engaged in an unconscionable agreement w/ Jeffrey Epstein kept secret from courageous, young victims preventing them from seeking justice. This was known by @POTUS when he appointed him to the cabinet. #AcostaResign
“A big part of his job is protecting workers and children from exploitation, yet he has demonstrated that he has utter disregard for victims and instead his priority is to protect sexual predators,” Wasserman Schultz said in an interview with The Guardian.”
“Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) told The Washington Post that “Alex Acosta has some major reckoning to do.”
On Monday (7/8/2019), an advocacy group for survivors of clergy abuse said in a statement that it was joining “the chorus of those calling” for Acosta’s resignation.
“If children are to be safe from sexual violence, those who help minimize these crimes must be punished, not promoted,” said the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.
“As head of the Labor Department, Secretary Acosta plays a critical role in the monitoring of crimes like sex trafficking. We simply cannot believe that he can be effective in that role with a cloud ― and history ― like this over his head,” the group added.
“The next 72 hours are critical for Acosta,” an unnamed former Trump adviser told Politico on Monday of the official’s fate.
Gronda Morin 