>> -- OVER 12 YEARS OLD THAT HAS
INPUT THROUGH MULTIPLE LEVELS OF
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
AS I LOOK FORWARD I DON'T THINK
IT'S RIGHT OR FARE FOR THIS
ADMINISTRATION'S LABOR
DEPARTMENT TO HAVE EPSTEIN AS
THE FOCUS RATHER THAN THE
INCREDIBLE ECONOMY WE HAVE
TODAY.
>> ALEX ACOST A IS
>> ALEX ACOSTAA IS
>> ALEX ACOSTA IIS
>> ALEX ACOSTA ISS
>> ALEX ACOSTA IS STEPPING DOWN.
IT'S OVER AN ALLEGED PLEA DEAL
WITH EPSTEIN.
THAT WAS DONE DURING THE BUSH
ADMINISTRATION A DECADE AGO.
ACOSTA SAYS IT WAS THE BEST
AGREEMENT HE WOULD MAKE.
SHOULD HE RESIGN AT ALL?
WHY DID HE RESIGN?
JOINING US IS SOMEONE WHO
REPRESENTED EPSTEIN YEARS AGO.
KEN STARR.
KEN, WAS A PLEA DEAL REALLY
ACOSTA'S BEST PLAY IN THIS
CIRCUMSTANCE?
HE SAID THAT BARRY KIRSCHER THE
STATE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
WASN'T INCLINED TO PURSUE THE
CASE AGAINST EPSTEIN FOR A
VARIETY OF REASONS SOME, WE'RE
NOT PRIVY TOO.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS TONIGHT.
>> WELL THERE IS AN IRONY HERE.
BY THE WAY I BELIEVE ALEX ACOSTA
IS COMPLETE INTEGRITY AND TOOK
ONE FOR THE TEAM TODAY.
YES, I WAS INVOLVED IN THOSE
NEGOTIATIONS.
IT WAS ALEX ACOSTA AND THE U.S.
ATTORNEY OFFICE PLAYING TOUGH.
THEY WERE INSISTING ON
CONDITIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE
PLEA AGREEMENT WITH JEFFERY
EPSTEIN.
WE WERE ARGUING.
I PERSONALLY ARGUED BEFORE U.S.
ATTORNEY ALEX ACOSTA AND HIGHER
UPS IN THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
THAT WHAT WAS A HREPBGPUGH IN
PALM BEACH COUNTY, AND UNDER
INVESTIGATION BY THE COUNTY,
WERE STATE OFFENSES NOT FEDERAL
OFFENSES.
LAURA, THIS IS NOT A FEDERAL
ARGUMENT.
DON'T FEDERALLY CRIMINALIZE THIS
AREA OF THE LAW THAT BELONGS TO
THE STATES.
IT'S A QUINTESSENTIAL STATE
OFFENSE OF SEXUAL ROCK
OFFENSE OF SEXUAL WOCK
OFFENSE OF SEXUAL WROK
OFFENSE OF SEXUAL WRONG DOING.
ALEX DISAGREED WITH THAT.
HERE IS THE IRONY.
HE WAS PUSHING FOR A HARDER KIND
OF DISPOSITION, A TOUGHER
DISPOSITION, WE ULTIMATELY CAME
TO AN AGREEMENT THAT EVERYONE
WAS SATISFIED WITH BUT WHAT HAS
SINCE HAPPENED HAS HAPPENED.
>> Laura: KEN, NOW WE LEARN OF
COURSE THERE ARE ALLEGATIONS OF
TRAFFICKING PEOPLE ACROSS STATE
FRONT.
THAT WOULD INDICATE AT THIS
POINT WITH APPARENTLY WHAT THE
ALLEGATIONS ARE THAT THIS IS NOW
OF COURSE A FEDERALLY TRIGGERED
CASE BECAUSE OF THE CROSSING
STATE FRONT CORRECT.
>> THAT WOULD BE, CORRECT,
LAURA. THERE WERE NO ALLEGATIONS
OF CROSSING STATE FRONT IN THE
FLORIDA SITUATION.
SO, YOU'RE RIGHT.
THESE ARE ACCUSATIONS.
SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS, OBVIOUSLY.
EVERY HUMAN BEING IS ENTITLED TO
BASIC HUMAN DIGNITY.
WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
YOU'RE RIGHT, LAWYER THRAFPLT IS
NO SUGGESTION THAT HUMAN
TRAFFICKING, NON CONSENSUAL USE
OF DRUGS AND THE LIKE IN THE
FLORIDA CASE OR THE STATE'S
ATTORNEY IN PALM BEACH COUNTY
WOULD HAVE TAKEN A VERY
DIFFERENT LOOK AT THE ENTIRE
SITUATION.
>> Laura: KEN, JULIE BROWN IS
THE REPORTER WRITING A LOT ABOUT
THIS AND SPEAKING ABOUT THIS ON
MSNBC THIS WEEK AND SAID THIS.
LET'S WATCH.
>> HOW MUCH PUSH BACK PRESSURE
WAS BROUGHT TO BARE ON THAT U.S.
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FROM PEOPLE
CONNECTED TO EPSTEIN AND HIS
ATTORNEY HE'S THAT WERE HIGH
POWERED HIGH PRICED ATTORNEYS
WHEN THE CASE WAS BEFORE
ALEXACOSTA.
>> I THINK THEY WERE BOWLED OVER
FRANKLY BY THE ATTORNEYS, KEN
STARR.
THESE WERE BIG NAME TOWARDS.
>> Laura: I HAPPEN TO KNOW AWFUL
YOU.
I HAVE KNOWN YOU FOR SOME TIME,
KEN.
THAT, THAT IS JUST ABOUT THE
MOST HIGH POWERED TEAM I CAN
THINK OF.
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE
CASE INITIALLY?
>> WELL, OUR FIRM WAS RETAINED
BY JEFFERY EPSTEIN AS PART OF
THE DEFENSE TEAM.
I WAS BROUGHT IN SPECIFICALLY TO
ARGUE THE CONSTITUTION FEDERAL
POINTS.
THE IDEA OF ANYONE BEING BOWLED
OVER IS NONSENSE.
NOBODY WAS BOWLED OVER.
I WAS IN THE MEETINGS.
THEY LISTENED RESPECTFULLY.
THE PUSH BACK WAS FROM THE
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY OFFICE.
AT MAIN JUSTICE WHEN THE MATTER
WAS REVIEWED AT OUR REQUEST I
HEARD THINGS SUCH AS YOU'RE
MAKING COMPELLING ARGUMENTS.
WE WILL DEFER TO THE U.S.
ATTORNEY WITH THE FEDERAL
INTEREST HERE.
I FIRMLY DISAGREE WITH THESE
ACCUSATIONS.
>> Laura: KEN, WHAT YOU'RE
SAYING IS ACOSTA TOOK THE HARD
LINE IN THE CASE.
>> CORRECT.
>> Laura: YOU WERE THERE IN THE
ROOM.
>> I WAS IN THE ROOM.
>> Laura: HE'S NOW OUT OF THE
CABINET BECAUSE OF THE MEDIA
SETTING UPON HIM 12 YEARS LATER
BECAUSE OF HIS ASSOCIATION WITH
DONALD TRUMP.
THAT IS WHAT IS GOING ON AND
HAPPENS IN WASHINGTON.
MUELLER IS TESTIFYING NOW, KEN.
THEY'RE MOVING IT BACK TO THE
26th OR SO?
24th.
>> YES.
A WEEK LATER.
>> Laura: THOUGHTS ON.
THAT IS THAT A SIGN OF BREAKDOWN
AND NEGOTIATIONS OF WHAT HE WILL
TALK ABOUT?
>> WELL, WE DON'T KNOW.
MY SPECULATION, LAURA, IS THAT
THERE WERE HOUSE DEMOCRATS
SAYING ME TOO, SO TO SPEAK.
I WANT TO BE ABLE TO QUESTION
ROBERT MUELLER.
SO I THINK THAT'S THE DYNAMIC,
THE INTERNAL DYNAMIC.
>> Laura: THEY WANT TO
GRANDSTAND, KEN.