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"House Democrats should... use all power at their disposal to hold Acosta accountable and investigate Donald Trump's involvement with Jeffrey Epstein," said Heidi Hess, co-director of Credo Action. (Photo: UltraViolet/Flickr)
Hours after Labor Secretary Alex Acosta held a press conference defending his decision in 2008 to offer what critics described as a "sweetheart" plea deal to billionaire Jeffrey Epstein--who was charged this week with sex trafficking--a coalition of progressive advocacy groups Wednesday night projected messages onto the Department of Labor building condemning Acosta as an enabler of sexual predation and urging him to resign.
"Acosta endangers women and girls," "Acosta enables child sex trafficking," and "Acosta must go" read the projections, which were planned by the American Federation of Teachers, CREDO Action, MoveOn, and UltraViolet.
Heidi Hess, co-director of CREDO Action, said in a statement that Acosta "must step down as Labor Secretary immediately."
"His actions," Hess said, "make clear he would rather protect a billionaire pedophile and sex offender than stand up for innocent children."
Hess went on to urge the House Democratic majority to launch an investigation into Acosta and President Donald Trump's relationship with Epstein.
As Common Dreams reported Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sparked outrage by saying it is "up to the president" to probe Acosta.
" House Democrats should... use all power at their disposal to hold Acosta accountable and investigate Donald Trump's involvement with Jeffrey Epstein," said Hess.
Shauna Thomas, executive director of UltraViolet, echoed Hess's demand, calling on Congress to "open a full investigation into why child sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein was protected over the survivors of his abuse."
"That means investigating every single enabler of Epstein's abuse, from Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to President Donald Trump, and every celebrity and business mogul in between, and includes starting impeachment proceedings into Acosta, who broke the law to hand a serial pedophile a sweetheart deal."
"The American people cannot afford a president and Labor Secretary who would rather shield wealthy sexual abusers from prosecution than protect sexually trafficked children," said Thomas.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Hours after Labor Secretary Alex Acosta held a press conference defending his decision in 2008 to offer what critics described as a "sweetheart" plea deal to billionaire Jeffrey Epstein--who was charged this week with sex trafficking--a coalition of progressive advocacy groups Wednesday night projected messages onto the Department of Labor building condemning Acosta as an enabler of sexual predation and urging him to resign.
"Acosta endangers women and girls," "Acosta enables child sex trafficking," and "Acosta must go" read the projections, which were planned by the American Federation of Teachers, CREDO Action, MoveOn, and UltraViolet.
Heidi Hess, co-director of CREDO Action, said in a statement that Acosta "must step down as Labor Secretary immediately."
"His actions," Hess said, "make clear he would rather protect a billionaire pedophile and sex offender than stand up for innocent children."
Hess went on to urge the House Democratic majority to launch an investigation into Acosta and President Donald Trump's relationship with Epstein.
As Common Dreams reported Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sparked outrage by saying it is "up to the president" to probe Acosta.
" House Democrats should... use all power at their disposal to hold Acosta accountable and investigate Donald Trump's involvement with Jeffrey Epstein," said Hess.
Shauna Thomas, executive director of UltraViolet, echoed Hess's demand, calling on Congress to "open a full investigation into why child sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein was protected over the survivors of his abuse."
"That means investigating every single enabler of Epstein's abuse, from Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to President Donald Trump, and every celebrity and business mogul in between, and includes starting impeachment proceedings into Acosta, who broke the law to hand a serial pedophile a sweetheart deal."
"The American people cannot afford a president and Labor Secretary who would rather shield wealthy sexual abusers from prosecution than protect sexually trafficked children," said Thomas.
Hours after Labor Secretary Alex Acosta held a press conference defending his decision in 2008 to offer what critics described as a "sweetheart" plea deal to billionaire Jeffrey Epstein--who was charged this week with sex trafficking--a coalition of progressive advocacy groups Wednesday night projected messages onto the Department of Labor building condemning Acosta as an enabler of sexual predation and urging him to resign.
"Acosta endangers women and girls," "Acosta enables child sex trafficking," and "Acosta must go" read the projections, which were planned by the American Federation of Teachers, CREDO Action, MoveOn, and UltraViolet.
Heidi Hess, co-director of CREDO Action, said in a statement that Acosta "must step down as Labor Secretary immediately."
"His actions," Hess said, "make clear he would rather protect a billionaire pedophile and sex offender than stand up for innocent children."
Hess went on to urge the House Democratic majority to launch an investigation into Acosta and President Donald Trump's relationship with Epstein.
As Common Dreams reported Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sparked outrage by saying it is "up to the president" to probe Acosta.
" House Democrats should... use all power at their disposal to hold Acosta accountable and investigate Donald Trump's involvement with Jeffrey Epstein," said Hess.
Shauna Thomas, executive director of UltraViolet, echoed Hess's demand, calling on Congress to "open a full investigation into why child sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein was protected over the survivors of his abuse."
"That means investigating every single enabler of Epstein's abuse, from Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to President Donald Trump, and every celebrity and business mogul in between, and includes starting impeachment proceedings into Acosta, who broke the law to hand a serial pedophile a sweetheart deal."
"The American people cannot afford a president and Labor Secretary who would rather shield wealthy sexual abusers from prosecution than protect sexually trafficked children," said Thomas.