Trump put the prosecutor behind Epstein's extraordinary non-prosecution deal in the Cabinet

Reporting and findings

1. documented

   Trump nominated Alexander Acosta to be labor secretary in February 2017 after Acosta, as U.S. attorney for Southern Florida, had approved the federal non-prosecution agreement with Epstein.

   • Trump White House Archives: President Donald J. Trump Nominates R. Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of LaborNomination announcement
   • U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility: Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006–2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey EpsteinExecutive summary and account of Acosta's approval of the agreement
2. documented

   DOJ's Office of Professional Responsibility found that Acosta exercised poor judgment in resolving the Epstein investigation through the non-prosecution agreement and in failing to ensure victims were notified, but it found no professional misconduct and no evidence that corruption or other impermissible considerations drove the decision.

   • U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility: Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006–2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey EpsteinExecutive summary and conclusions
3. documented

   Acosta announced his resignation as labor secretary in July 2019 as renewed attention focused on his handling of the Epstein agreement.

   • U.S. Government Publishing Office: Remarks Prior to a Meeting With President Jimmy Morales of Guatemala and an Exchange With ReportersJuly 12, 2019 exchange with reporters