Lawmakers Weigh-in on Epstein and Acosta

July 9, 2019 4:30 pm EDT Tiff News Commentary 2
Official White House Photo. Photo By D. Myles Cullen

As the News Blender reported on Monday Jeffrey Epstein, a politically connected multimillionaire, was arrested and charged with sex trafficking minors and conspiracy.

The new charges bring back to light an old plea deal that Epstein entered into with then-U.S. Attorney, now Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, in 2008

The deal as noted by the Washington Post, allowed Epstein to plead guilty to state solicitation charges where he received thirteen months in jail. At the time he was looking at the possibility of life in prison.

The non-prosecution agreement made news in November of 2018 when Miami Herald Investigative Journalist’s Emily Michot, and Julie Brown, published a detailed expo that revealed that not only did Epstein’s plea deal allow him to escape a harsher sentence, it “essentially shut down an ongoing FBI probe into whether there were more victims and other powerful people who took part in Epstein’s sex crimes, according to a Miami Herald examination of thousands of emails, court documents and FBI records.”

In February of 2019 USA Today reported that U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra, ruled that the plea deal between Epstein and Acosta, “broke the law in a sex trafficking case against a billionaire New York hedge fund manager by not informing his underage sex victims of a plea agreement.”

The recent charges and in light of the plea deal lawmakers have called for Acosta to resign as Labor Secretary.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that while speaking to reporters the Democrat leader of the House, seemed to back away from launching an impeachment inquiry into Acosta saying, “It’s up to the president, it’s his Cabinet. We have a great deal of work to do here for the good of the American people, need to focus on that.”

Senator and Presidential Candidate Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) via MSNBC

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

Senator and Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders (D-VT)

Ted Cruz (R-TX) called Epstein’s behavior despicable.

House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) via CNN.

In April 2019 during a budget hearing Acosta defended the handling of the Epstein matter.

He told Rep. K. Clark (D-MA) that he made the best deal possible saying that with the deal “he went to jail,” adding “the world was put on notice that Epstein was a predator.”

On Tuesday President Trump when asked about the charges against Epstein, he said the two had a falling out about fifteen years ago, adding, “I was not a fan of his,” he added that he felt “very badly, actually, for Secretary Acosta.”

In 2002 while speaking to New York Magazine the President, then-businessman Donald Trump told them regarding Epstein, “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it – Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”

A few hours before the President weighed-in on Epstein and Acosta, Acosta himself weighed in on the new Epstein charges.

For What It’s Worth.

White House Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway spoke with reporters this morning regarding Acosta and Epstein.

For a look at how Twitter users are responding to the Secretary’s bold tweets regarding Epstein.

Why This Should Matter.

Epstein is a sexual predator, a judge ruled that Acosta broke the law, when he made the deal with Acosta, he is currently working for us, “We the People,” he should resign, it’s the right thing to do.

However, the House has power too, they won in 2018, not because of health care, not because of climate change, but in order to hold President Trump and his Administration responsible, something they continue to fail at.

I know others disagree with me about the Democrats and that’s fine, but at some point, these elected officials, regardless of their capital letter or team jersey, need to stop talking the right game and actually do the right thing.

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About Tiff 2550 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.