Umar Farooq
12 July 2019•Update: 14 July 2019
WASHINGTON
U.S. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta said he is resigning on Friday after weeks of furor over a plea deal given to billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein, a registered sex offender.
President Donald Trump made the announcement of Acosta's departure at the White House, saying it was his decision that was made in a phone call to the president Friday morning.
"I said you don't have to do this," Trump said about the resignation.
Acosta has been under fire over the past few weeks after new charges were placed against Epstein alleging he abused dozens of underage girls, some as young as 14, and conspired to commit sex trafficking.
Epstein's legal team submitted a bail package proposal on Wednesday which offered up his $77 million mansion and private jet to secure a bond. He is currently in a federal lock-up in Manhattan.
The labor secretary oversaw a favorable 2007 plea deal for the billionaire, in which Epstein was let off with a significantly lighter sentence in a secret deal that saw him serve about a year in prison and had him register as a sex offender. He served most of his term in work release.
He was able to get out of a possible life sentence in that case, which involved soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Acosta has, however, defended the plea deal, saying that it made Epstein serve in jail as well as made him register as a sex offender.
Trump on Twitter said that the resignation came due to pressure from the press "about a prosecution which took place under his watch more than 12 years ago" and said that Acosta thought it "was bad for the Administration" so he resigned.
"Alex was a great Secretary of Labor and his service is truly appreciated," Trump tweeted.
He said that Acosta will be replaced by current Deputy Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella on an acting basis.
The president added that Pizzella "will do the job" and was highly recommended by Acosta.
The House Oversight Committee invited Acosta on Wednesday to testify at a July 23 hearing about the deal.
The Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility is currently reviewing whether any misconduct occurred in the handling of the earlier case against Epstein.
Acosta officially became Trump's labor secretary in April 2017.
His resignation adds to a long and unprecedented list of personnel changes under the Trump administration, leading in many cases to extended vacancies and unconfirmed acting secretaries serving for months at a time.
