Wasserman Schultz calls for DOJ inspector general to probe Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta
by Sean Higgins | November 30, 2018 01:59 PM
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., is calling on the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General to investigate Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta for corruption.
She claims that Acosta's actions as U.S. attorney in Miami in handling the case of a rich political donor and sexual predator named Jeffrey Epstein warrant the probe. She is currently circulating a letter among House colleagues to formally request a probe.
"Based on newly reported documents and a group of brave women coming forward to share their stories, it appears that, as a federal prosecutor, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta gave a sweetheart deal to a wealthy and well-connected serial sex offender, and hid it from dozens of victims, some of whom were still coming forward," the lawmaker said, calling Acosta's actions "unacceptable for any public official, especially a Cabinet secretary who now oversees sexual harassment prevention efforts in the workplace."
The congresswoman's office said the request was being made to the Justice Department's OIG because it involved Acosta's actions while he was a department employee. The letter was still being circulated and could be sent either later today or Monday.
Acosta has been previously criticized for his handling of the investigation into Epstein, who was convicted on two counts of prostitution in 2007 and served 13 months in county jail. Critics argue the penalty was far too light given the allegations that Epstein was involved in sex-trafficking and had abused dozens of women, many underage. He initially faced a 53-page federal indictment for crimes relating to that.
The case was the subject of a long investigative piece published this week by the Miami Herald, in which many of Epstein's victims expressed anger over how it was resolved, especially that the details of the plea deal were initially kept secret. The article portrayed Acosta as bowing to pressure from Epstein's lawyers to limit the prosecution. Epstein was a key federal witness at about the same time in a case against a pair of Bear Stearns executives who were being charged with securities fraud.
A source in Wasserman Schultz's office said the Miami Herald's article raised new questions regarding Acosta's actions in the case. Emails show that Acosta and another federal prosecutor, A. Marie Villafana, agreed to several demands by Epstein's attorneys that would limit publicity surrounding the case. For example, while federal prosecutors had identified three dozen underage victims, none were present at Epstein's June 30, 2008, sentencing in state court in Palm Beach County. Most didn't even learn of the sentencing until they heard it on the news.
"This matter has been publicly addressed previously, including during (Acosta's Senate) confirmation hearings. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida has defended the actions in this case across three administrations," said a DOL spokesman.
During his Senate confirmation as labor secretary in 2017, Acosta defended his actions as part of a reasonable plea deal: "At the end of the day, based on the evidence, professionals within a prosecutor’s office decided that a plea that guarantees someone goes to jail, that guarantees he register generally [as a sexual predator] and guarantees other outcomes, is a good thing."
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