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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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
-
Why are election experts taking Trump’s midterm threats seriously?IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the president muses about polling place deployments and a centralized electoral system aimed at one-party control, lawmakers are taking this administration at its word
-
‘Restaurateurs have become millionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Earth is rapidly approaching a ‘hothouse’ trajectory of warmingThe explainer It may become impossible to fix
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
