Скачать или смотреть Acosta defends his handling of Epstein plea deal

(10 Jul 2019) Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is defending his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking case, saying he tried to avoid a deal allowing the wealthy financier to "walk free."
Acosta held a news conference Wednesday to explain his role in a secret 2008 plea deal that let Epstein avoid federal prosecution on charges that he molested teenage girls
Acosta is a former federal prosecutor in South Florida. He said the case started as a state matter, not with his office. He says that the Palm Beach state attorney's office was "ready to let Epstein walk free. No jail time. Nothing."
Acosta said federal prosecutors found that to be unacceptable and presented an ultimatum of pleading guilty to more serious charges that required jail time and restitution.
"We did what we did because we wanted to see Epstein go to jail," he said. "That was the focus."
A number of Democrats are calling for Acosta's resignation for his role in the deal.
But  he was unapologetic Wednesday as he declared his office did the best it could under the circumstances.
The deal Acosta helped broker has come under new and intense scrutiny after prosecutors in New York on Monday brought new child sex-trafficking charges alleging Epstein abused dozens of underage girls in the early 2000s, paying them hundreds of dollars in cash for massages, then molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York.
Epstein has pleaded not guilty to the charges; if convicted he could be imprisoned for the rest of his life.

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