Embattled Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta defended his handling of the 2008 sex abuse case against billionaire Jeffrey Epstein during a Wednesday press conference, and argued that — as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida — he achieved the best outcome possible considering the Florida state attorney’s initial failure to prosecute the case aggressively.
"The Palm Beach state attorney’s office was ready to let Epstein walk free. No jail time, nothing," he told reporters. "Prosecutors in my former office found this to be completely unacceptable and they became involved…Our prosecutors, as this 2008 article recounts, presented the ultimatum: plead guilty to more serious charges, charges that require jail time, registration and restitution, or we’d roll the dice and bring a federal indictment. Without the work of prosecutors, Epstein would have gotten away with just that state charge."
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