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Fresh Demands for Labor Secretary Alex Acosta's Resignation Mount After Jeffrey Epstein Arrested for Child Sex Trafficking Charges
Acosta has long faced intense public criticism for helping Epstein secure a "sweetheart plea deal" while serving as Miami's top federal prosecutor
Jul 07, 2019
The arrest of financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on federal child sex trafficking charges elicited fresh demands for the resignation of Trump Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who helped Epstein secure a "sweetheart plea deal" for previous allegations while serving as Miami's top federal prosecutor over a decade ago.
Following news of Epstein's arrest late Saturday, reporters, politicians, and other observers called on Acosta to immediately step down--bolstering demands that have mounted in recent months amid a legal challenge to Epstein's deal filed by survivors.
\u201cIn light of Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s sex trafficking arrest, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta should resign IMMEDIATELY. He broke the law to protect a serial pedophile who preyed upon dozens of underage girls.\u201d— Adam Best (@Adam Best) 1562463358
\u201c.@realDonaldTrump Labor Secretary @SecretaryAcosta gave child molester Jeffrey Epstein a sweetheart deal when Acosta was an US Attorney. Now it turns out Epstein may have molested more individuals. \n\nWhy is Acosta still Labor Secretary?\u201d— Ted Lieu (@Ted Lieu) 1562475993
\u201cAlex Acosta should resign https://t.co/wJgk9qqEDJ\u201d— Greg Dworkin (@Greg Dworkin) 1562471482
\u201cWith the Epstein arrest, Labor @SecretaryAcosta is finally getting the attention he should have gotten before Senate Republicans confirmed him. Good! Ever better: let\u2019s now pay attention to ALL the reasons he should have been rejected.\n\n#AcostaMustResign https://t.co/PlPXLXWFbB\u201d— John Nichols (@John Nichols) 1562503802
CNN opinion contributor Raul A. Reyes wrote Sunday that "Acosta's actions are worthy of bipartisan outrage and should offend every American father and mother. Acosta betrayed the vulnerable to benefit the powerful. His deal for Epstein shows a disregard for child welfare, victims' rights and Justice Department procedures. Ironically, as secretary of labor, Acosta is responsible for monitoring human trafficking."
\u201cNOTE: As Secretary of Labor, Acosta now OVERSEES THE NATION'S HUMAN TRAFFICKING LAWS\n\nI'll have more on Epstein's arrest and its implications on the Trump administration, Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz and other powerful people in my newsletter\n\nSign up at https://t.co/Gl6evXRDcZ\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1562515139
\u201cPast alleged victims of Epstein include a 15-year-old Mar-a-Lago employee. Past alleged co-conspirators include Trump ally Alan Dershowitz and Prince Andrew. The architect of Epstein\u2019s past federal sweetheart deal is current Trump administration labor secretary Alex Acosta.\u201d— Adam Weinstein (@Adam Weinstein) 1562458865
Over the years, Epstein has been tied to various high-profile individuals, including retired Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz and the U.K.'s Prince Andrew as well as former President Bill Clinton and current President Donald Trump.
\u201cThe Jeffrey Epstein case is a sign of a deep, severe moral sickness in this country. Everyone who shielded him (including Alex Acosta and Donald Trump) are just as culpable for his crimes, and the fact that they remain in positions of power is an absolute disgrace.\u201d— Gravel Institute (@Gravel Institute) 1562463755
According to the Daily Beast, which first reported on the financier's arrest late Saturday:
Epstein was arrested for allegedly sex trafficking dozens of minors in New York and Florida between 2002 and 2005, and will appear in court in New York on Monday, according to three law enforcement sources. Epstein, who owns a New York City mansion and an island in the Caribbean, was being held at the federal lockup in Manhattan ahead of his court date.
Saturday's arrest by the FBI-NYPD Crimes Against Children Task Force comes about 12 years after the 66-year-old financier essentially got a slap on the wrist for allegedly molesting dozens of underage girls in Florida.
For more than a decade, Epstein's alleged abuse of minors has been the subject of lawsuits brought by victims, investigations by local and federal authorities, and exposes in the press. But despite the attention cast on his alleged sex crimes, the hedge-funder has managed to avoid any meaningful jail time, let alone federal charges.
The new indictment--which, according to two sources, will be unsealed Monday in Manhattan federal court--will reportedly allege that Epstein sexually exploited dozens of underage girls in a now-familiar scheme: paying them cash for "massages" and then molesting or sexually abusing them in his Upper East Side mansion or his palatial residence in Palm Beach. Epstein will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors--which could put him away for a maximum of 45 years. The case is being handled by the Public Corruption Unit of the Southern District of New York, with assistance from the district's human-trafficking officials and the FBI.
Sources told the Miami Herald that Epstein was arrested at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport and "around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, about a dozen federal agents broke down the door to Epstein's Manhattan townhouse to execute search warrants." A source in New York told the Florida newspaper that Monday's bail hearing "will be critical because if they grant him bail, he has enough money that he will disappear and they will never get him."
In a series of stories from last November titled "Perversion of Justice," Herald reporter Julie K. Brown detailed how Acosta, then U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, worked with Epstein's attorneys to craft an agreement that was kept secret from Epstein's victims.
\u201cBREAKING: With Jeffrey Epstein locked up, these are nervous times for his friends, enablers\nhttps://t.co/wc8vNXex8o\u201d— julie k. brown (@julie k. brown) 1562539646
Epstein "was accused of assembling a large, cult-like network of underage girls--with the help of young female recruiters--to coerce into having sex acts behind the walls of his opulent waterfront mansion as often as three times a day," Brown reported in November. "Facing a 53-page federal indictment, Epstein could have ended up in federal prison for the rest of his life."
Not only would Epstein serve just 13 months in the county jail, but the deal--called a non-prosecution agreement--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.
The pact required Epstein to plead guilty to two prostitution charges in state court. Epstein and four of his accomplices named in the agreement received immunity from all federal criminal charges. But even more unusual, the deal included wording that granted immunity to "any potential co-conspirators" who were also involved in Epstein's crimes. These accomplices or participants were not identified in the agreement, leaving it open to interpretation whether it possibly referred to other influential people who were having sex with underage girls at Epstein's various homes or on his plane.
As Common Dreams reported in December--amid previous calls for Acosta to resign, which were sparked by the Herald's series--National Organization for Women (NOW) president Toni Van Pelt said that "Epstein plays by the same rule book as Donald Trump, Les Moonves, Harvey Weinstein, Eric Schneiderman, and other powerful men who have been revealed as serial abusers of women."
"Epstein's scant 13-month stay in a county jail--where he was even allowed to spend twelve hours a day, six days a week, at his office," Van Pelt said, "was made possible by a culture of powerful men, enabling each other, while dismissing, excusing, or demeaning the women and children they brutalize with physical and sexual violence."
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'The Damage Has Been Done': Despite Court Ruling, Experts Say Trump Succeeded in Making Immigrant Communities Fearful of Census
"We came here to work, just to work, and it is better to keep the door closed," one undocumented immigrant said
Jun 28, 2019
Despite the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of the Trump administration's attempt to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 census, rights advocates said Friday that the damage to immigrant communities across the country is likely already done.
The administration had been planning to add the question, "Is this person a citizen of the United States?" to the ten-year survey, a move which critics feared would result in an undercount that could be significant enough result in federal funding cuts for marginalized communities and the loss of representation in Congress. President Donald Trump had argued the question was needed to improve enforcement of the Voting Rights Act--reasoning the court found "contrived."
"Whether the citizenship question is included or not included, there is already a lot of fear instilled in the immigrant community."
--Maricela Rodriguez, California governor's officeAfter the 5-4 ruling was handed down Thursday, immigrant rights groups and lawmakers quickly set to work encouraging all residents of the U.S. to participate in the census next year, opening their doors to government workers for the ten-year survey that aims to count everyone in the country.
"If you don't participate in the census, Trump wins," California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Thursday.
Newsom's warning came amid heightened fears of the Trump administration and any government employee who might come to an immigrant family's home.
Under Trump's orders, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has already arrested hundreds of undocumented immigrants this year. Days before the high court handed down its ruling the president had threatened to begin ICE raids in several cities as part of a plan to arrest and deport "millions" of undocumented immigrants, before walking back his threat.
"Really, the damage in terms of creating fear around the census has been done," Maricela Rodriguez, Newson's civic engagement director, told the New York Times. "Whether the citizenship question is included or not included, there is already a lot of fear instilled in the immigrant community."
As Jose A. Del Real reported in the Times, many residents in Los Angeles's predominantly Latino MacArthur Park neighborhood do not plan to answer their doors to census takers, citing the fear of ICE raids.
"We came here to work, just to work, and it is better to keep the door closed," Pedro, a 50-year-old resident who is an undocumented immigrant, told the Times.
"The very people who are being told by activists to keep their doors closed if ICE agents pay a visit are also being told to open their doors for government census workers, so they can be counted," wrote Del Real.
The months-long court battle over the census question--in which evidence suggested that the administration had actually sought to add the question to give an electoral advantage to "Republicans and non-Hispanic whites"--has also contributed to intensified distrust of the government.
"The damage has been done already just with conversation that's been going on around along with the citizenship question," Julio Rivera, census manager for the Latino advocacy group the NALEO Educational Fund, told the ABC affiliate WTNH in Connecticut. "There's been fear that's been struck into communities."
The advocacy group Voto Latino called on immigrant community members to spread information about the census and encourage one another to answer the government survey, arguing that making their presence known will result in greater political power for marginalized people.
"The purpose of even suggesting a citizenship question was to instill fear into our gente," the group tweeted. "It's more important than ever that we discuss the census among us and use it to consolidate our power!"
\u201cThe purpose of even suggesting a #CitizenshipQuestion was to instill fear into our gente.\n\nIt\u2019s more important than ever that we discuss the Census among us and use it to consolidate our power! \n#SomosMas \n\n https://t.co/880ChhlqTQ\u201d— Voto Latino (@Voto Latino) 1561728023
The National Organization for Women (NOW) also pledged to engage with immigrant communities and spread information about answering the census.
"We need to rebuild trust in the census, reach out to immigrant communities and reassure them that they can participate in the census without fear," said NOW President Toni Van Pelt in a statement. "NOW will not let our guard down until this discriminatory, dangerous measure is finally, definitively, defeated. We will stand up for full representation, and demand that the U.S. Census count every person in America--not just the ones Republicans want to vote."
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Alabama's "Worst-of-Its-Kind" Abortion Ban an Explicit Effort to Destroy Roe, Warn Rights Groups
"Anti-choice Republicans no longer even pretend to respect the law or the women that it protects."
May 15, 2019
In just the latest move that reproductive rights advocates warn is part of the prolonged effort to overturn Roe v. Wade, GOP state senators in Alabama sent what would be the nation's most extreme abortion ban to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey's desk late Tuesday.
"This unconstitutional measure would send women in the state back to the dark days of policymakers having control over their bodies, health, and lives."
--Toni Van Pelt, NOW
This "worst-of-its-kind" bill, already approved by the Alabama House, would ban abortion at every stage of pregnancy and criminalize providing the procedure as a felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison.
If the measure becomes law, the only exception under which a woman can terminate a pregnancy is if she faces a serious health risk. Most GOP senators rejected an amendment that would have added exceptions for rape and incest.
\u201cThere is no punishment in this bill for the man doing the impregnating, except presumably the obligation to pay child support in some cases\u201d— Laura Bassett (@Laura Bassett) 1557879823
Lori Jhons, Ivey's spokesperson, toldThe Associated Press "the governor intends to withhold comment until she has had a chance to thoroughly review the final version of the bill that passed," but the vote tally suggests state lawmakers could easily override a veto.
\u201cThese 25 white men \u2013 all Republicans \u2013 just voted to ban abortion in Alabama https://t.co/SXQKELlko4\u201d— Guardian US (@Guardian US) 1557891256
The passage of this "dangerous" and "atrocious" legislation Tuesday provoked immediate outcry and vows to fight the measure from reproductive rights supporters nationwide.
"This unconstitutional measure would send women in the state back to the dark days of policymakers having control over their bodies, health, and lives," warned Toni Van Pelt of the National Organization for Women (NOW). "We strongly oppose this bill and the other egregious pieces of legislation that extremist lawmakers are trying to pass in what they claim is an attempt to force the Supreme Court to overturn Roe."
\u201c"We have seen success from the last 40 years of having broader access to reproductive health services," says @Hegemommy. She says state bills against abortion rights, like the one just passed in Alabama, are part of a broader "political campaign" to overturn Roe v. Wade.\u201d— Democracy Now! (@Democracy Now!) 1557924005
"Anti-choice Republicans no longer even pretend to respect the law or the women that it protects," NARAL Pro-Choice America president Ilyse Hogue said in a statement. She also recalled the widespread opposition to Brett Kavanaugh, whom President Donald Trump appointed and the U.S. Senate approved to the Supreme Court last year.
"When women stood up in record numbers to fight Kavanaugh's nomination, propelled by his alarming record and Trump's promise to nominate jurists committed to criminalizing abortion and punishing women, we were told we were 'hysterical' because Roe was settled law," Hogue said. "Not six months later, we are battling measures where the stated goal is exactly that: outlawing abortion."
The Very Rev. Katherine Ragsdale, interim president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation, accused Republican lawmakers in Alabama of "playing games with people's lives and their constitutionally-protected rights," and called on Ivey to "put her constituents' health and rights first and veto this bill."
"We and our members will continue fighting," Ragsdale added, "to ensure people needing access to abortion care are able to obtain the compassionate healthcare they need."
Dr. Leana Wen, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, also promised her organization will challenge the "extreme and dangerous policy" that puts women's lives at even greater risk.
"With a record number of extreme bans on abortion and Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, our fundamental right to healthcare is under assault like never before," Wen said. "We will do whatever it takes to stop this dangerous bill so that patients can continue to access the care they need. We are in for the fight of our lives, for our patients' lives."
\u201cBut this fight is not over. #HB314 is headed to the Governor's desk and she needs to hear from YOU. Email her NOW and tell her you oppose this dangerous abortion ban: https://t.co/POcwrZFHHe #alpolitics\u201d— Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates (@Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates) 1557887047
Randall Marshall, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama, said in statement that his group, "along with the National ACLU and Planned Parenthood, will file a lawsuit to stop this unconstitutional ban and protect every woman's right to make her own choice about her healthcare, her body, and her future."
\u201cPSA: Abortion is still legal in all 50 states. \n\nIt\u2019s true that states have passed laws trying to make abortion a crime, but we will sue in court to make sure none of those laws ever go into effect.\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1557884950
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