Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I wish to oppose the nomination of Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of Labor. I did not come to this decision lightly, but, after closely examining Mr. Acosta's record, I cannot in good conscience vote for his confirmation to be Labor Secretary on behalf of the American people. The most troubling part of Mr. Acosta's record is how he handled a 2007 sex trafficking case that he oversaw while serving as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida. In that case, which left many vulnerable victims devastated when it concluded, Mr. Acosta failed to protect underage crime victims who looked to his office to vindicate their rights against billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. The case, led by Mr. Acosta's office and the FBI, involved an investigation of Mr. Epstein for his sexual abuse and exploitation of more than 30 underage girls. It ended with an agreement, negotiated by Mr. Acosta's office, in which Mr. Acosta agreed not to bring Federal charges, including sex trafficking charges, against Mr. Epstein in exchange for his guilty plea to State charges and registration as a sex offender. Thanks to this agreement, Mr. Epstein served a mere 13 months of jail time and avoided serious Federal charges that would have exposed him to lengthy prison sentences. What troubles me about this case is not just the leniency with which Mr. Epstein was treated, but how the victims themselves were treated.…”