Labor Secretary Alex Acosta has been under fire for a prosecutorial decision he made a decade ago involving billionaire sex offender, Jeffery Epstein.
In an afternoon news conference, Acosta talked about his decision to negotiate a non-prosecution deal with the billionaire Epstein. He classified it as a catch-22, saying that while the terms were softer than he'd have preferred, it provided a more certain outcome than going to trial, which he said amounted to a "roll the dice" proposition.
Acosta claimed his office got involved with the case only after state prosecutors were planning to go after Epstein on lesser charges. He said his priority was ensuring that Epstein went to prison, paid restitution to his victims and registered as a sex offender.
He also suggested that shifts in the way society views victims of sexual crimes meant his actions were being viewed differently now than they were a decade ago. While he didn't apologize for his decision, he did insist that his office had secured a reasonable sentence facing an uncertain trial with reluctant witnesses.
Source: NPR
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