19 House Democrats call for Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta's resignation over 'utter disregard for the law'

Alexander Acosta.
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

House Democrats have signed a letter calling for Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta to resign after a judge said he violated the law.

In a letter to President Trump on Monday, 19 lawmakers said that he must demand Acosta's resignation, citing U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra's recent ruling that prosecutors, including Acosta, violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act when they arranged a plea deal with Florida millionaire Jeffrey Epstein without informing the victims in the case.

Democrats in the letter said that this "shows an utter disregard for the law and those he was charged with representing." They also said the "despicable unjust plea deal" that then-attorney Acosta arranged "showed no respect for the suffering of the victims and credible accounts of human trafficking and was a clear abuse of power for political gain."

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The letter was organized by Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (R-Fla.), and Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), per The Hill.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said after the judge's ruling that "my understanding is it is a very complicated case," per NBC News, although she added that it's "certainly something we're looking into."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.