Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has called on Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to resign amid growing criticism over Acosta’s sweetheart plea deal with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein twelve years before his arrest. The minority leader also opposed Acosta’s confirmation in 2017. Schumer said on Monday that Epstein’s behavior “was despicable and they should throw the book at him. Mr. Acosta has to explain himself.” As the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Acosta arranged a plea agreement that kept more than 30 of Epstein’s accusers in the dark about a non-prosecution deal that allowed Epstein, a prominent financier with political connections, to avoid federal prosecution. A federal judge later ruled that the secret plea agreement was unconstitutional. Epstein was arrested on Saturday for allegedly trafficking dozens of minors for sex in New York and Florida between 2002 and 2005. He will return to a New York court on July 15.
