Trump just doubled down on his defense of Labor Secretary Alex Acosta
President Trump isn't firing Labor Secretary Alex Acosta just yet.
In a Tuesday press conference, Trump addressed questions about whether Acosta had mishandled a sexual abuse case against multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein when Acosta was a Florida prosecutor, and praised his work for the administration so far. In fact, when asked for his reaction to Epstein's weekend arrest, Trump said he felt "very badly" for Acosta, but did say he would "very carefully" look into Acosta's role in the Florida case.
Epstein was arrested over the weekend and accused by a New York prosecutor of running a sex trafficking ring involving dozens of minors. The charges were similar to ones he faced in Florida more than a decade ago. But under a plea deal Acosta arranged back then, Epstein only received a few months in prison.
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Despite Epstein's arrest dredging up Acosta's past, White House sources told The Washington Post that Trump has "no immediate plan" to oust the secretary. That might change if Acosta keeps dominating the news cycle, two former Trump advisers told Politico. A slew of Democrats have called for Acosta to resign, while Acosta tweeted a singular statement in response to the new Epstein charges on Tuesday. Kathryn Krawczyk
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