Fisher Investments. Clearly better money management.
>>> DONALD TRUMP’S LABOR
SECRETARY FORMER PROSECUTOR ALEX
ACOSTA BROKE HIS SILENCE TODAY
ADDRESSING THE FIRESTORM OVER
THE 2008 PLEA DEAL THAT HE CUT
WITH ACCUSED SEX TRAFFICKER
JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN. >> WOULD YOU MAKE THIS SAME
AGREEMENT TODAY?
AGREEMENT TODAY? >> WE NOW HAVE 12 YEARS OF
KNOWLEDGE AND BEHIND SIGHT AND
WE LIVE IN A VERY DIFFERENT
WORD.
WORD. TODAY’S WORLD TREATS VICTIMS
VERY, VERY DIFFERENTLY.
>> CRITICS HAVE UNLOADED ON MANY
ASPECTS OF THIS CASE INCLUDING
WHY THE ACCUSERS AND ACCORDING
TO THE LAW, THE VICTIMS WERE NOT
GIVEN THEIR LEGAL RIGHT OF
NOTIFICATION ABOUT THE PLEA
DEAL.
DEAL. NBC’S SAVANNAH GUTHRIE JUST
SATURDAYS DOWN WITH A NEW
ACCUSER WHO EXPLAINS HOW EPSTEIN
APPROACHED HER IN NEW YORK CITY
WHEN SHE WAS 14.
>> YOU’RE 14.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. YOU KNOW VERY WELL MY AGE.
YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHO HE WAS
HANGING OUT WITH, YOU KNOW.
I DON’T THINK HE CARED.
>> DID JEFFREY EPSTEIN RAPE YOU?
>> YEAH, HE RAPED ME.
FORCEFULLY RAPED ME, KNEW
EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING.
AND I DON’T THINK CARED.
>> EPSTEIN PLEADED GUILTY EXCUSE
ME NOT GUILTY TO SEX TRAFFICKING
CHARGES THAT WERE BROUGHT
AGAINST HIM.
AGAINST HIM. NEW IN NEW YORK THIS WEEK BY THE
TRUMP DOJ.
TRUMP DOJ. THOSE CHARGES IGNITED QUESTIONS
HOW THIS OTHER TRUMP OFFICIAL
ACOSTA ORIGINALLY DEALT WITH THE
EPSTEIN AND GOT PROMOTED IN THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BACK WHEN
HE WAS THE U.S. ATTORNEY IN
FLORIDA.
FLORIDA. >> THEY DIDN’T HEAR BACK FROM
YOU TILL IT WAS TOO LATE.
DO YOU OWE THEM AN APOLOGY?
>> THE AGREEMENT THAT HAD BEEN
NEGOTIATED HAD AN UNUSUAL
PROVISION.
PROVISION. >> YOU HAVE NO REGRETS.
>> WE BELIEVE THAT WE PROCEEDED
APPROPRIATELY.
APPROPRIATELY. >> BUT THESE VICTIMS SAY YOU
FAILED THEM.
FAILED THEM. >> WE DID WHAT WE DID BECAUSE WE
WANTED TO SEE EPSTEIN GO TO
JAIL.
JAIL. >> WHAT IS THE MESSAGE TO
VICTIMS WHO SAY THEY DON’T TRUST
YOU ANYMORE?
YOU ANYMORE? >> THE MESSAGE IS
>> GLEN KIRSCHNER, ALSO A FORMER
FEDERAL PROSECUTOR.
FEDERAL PROSECUTOR. THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON THIS
CASE.
CASE. DID YOU THINK THAT MR. ACOSTA
MADE ANY POINTS TODAY THAT WERE
FAIR OR VALID?
AND DID YOU THINK HE MADE ANY
MISTAKES OR WAS WRONG TODAY?
>> YOU KNOW, WHAT I HEARD FROM
LABOR SECRETARY ACOSTA WAS A
PRETTY TRANSPARENT ATTEMPT TO
WEASEL OUT OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR
DRAFTING WHAT IS A
NONPROSECUTION AGREEMENT UNLIKE
ANYTHING I’VE EVER SEEN AS A
FEDERAL PROSECUTOR.
FEDERAL PROSECUTOR. WHAT HE TRIED TO DO IN DIFFERENT
WAYS WAS NOT BLAME THE VICTIMS
SO MUCH AS SAYING THAT HE WAS
SPARING THE VICTIMS BECAUSE
THESE YOUNG GIRLS WERE
EMBARRASSED AND THEY DIDN’T WANT
TO HAVE TO RELIVE WHAT HAD BEEN
DONE TO THEM.
THEY DIDN’T WANT PEOPLE
CRITICIZING THEM.
CRITICIZING THEM. WELL, I CAN TELL YOU, ARI, I
PROSECUTED SEX CASES BACK IN THE
’80s AS AN ARMY JAG.
THEY’RE HORRIFIC FOR EVERYBODY,
FIRST AND FOREMOST THE VICTIMS.
SO NO VICTIM EVER WANTS TO
RELIVE IT, BUT THEY DO WANT TO
HAVE THEIR DAY IN COURT.
THEY DO WANT SOME JUSTICE.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, I
HAVE FOUND THAT THEY DO WANT TO
TELL THEIR STORY, BECAUSE THAT’S
HOW YOU HOLD SEXUAL OFFENDERS
ACCOUNTABLE.
ACCOUNTABLE. SO I THOUGHT IT WAS AN OBLIQUE
ATTEMPT TO BLAME VICTIMS.
HE ALSO THREW HIS SENIOR
PROSECUTOR -- I DON’T THINK HE
EVER NAMED HER, THE LEAD
PROSECUTOR ON THE CASE, BUT
REFERRED TO HER A NUMBER OF
TIMES AS I THINK A SENIOR FEMALE
PROSECUTOR, THREW HER UNDER THE
BUS KIND OF SAYING WELL SOME OF
THOSE DECISIONS WERE MADE BY
HER.
HER. AND THEN THE THIRD THING IS HE
KEPT WANTING TO BLAME THE STATE.
AND CAN I TELL YOU, ARI, THERE
ARE 94 U.S. ATTORNEYS OFFICES.
EACH AND EVERY ONE WORKS
COOPERATIVELY WITH THE STATE
AUTHORITIES BECAUSE WE HAVE WHAT
WE CALL CONCURRENT JURISDICTION.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. THERE WAS DEFINITELY -- THERE
WAS DEFINITELY BLAME SHIFTING.
I WANT TO GET YOU ON THE LAW.
SOME OF THIS IS OKAY DEBATING
WHAT LOOKS LIKE A VERY LENIENT
DEAL.
DEAL. THEN THERE IS THE LAW.
THE FEDERAL LAW HAS A VERY CLEAR
RIGHT FOR VICTIMS TO BE INFORMED
IN A TIMELY MANNER OF A PLEA
BARGAIN OR THESE KIND OF
AGREEMENTS.
AGREEMENTS. THEN YOU LOOK AT THE REPORTING
THAT PROSECUTORS WERE BUSTED FOR
WRONGLY KEEPING -- THIS IS
ACOSTA AND HIS TEAM -- KEEPING
THE VICTIMS OF THIS, QUOTE,
CHILD SEX RING IN THE DARK ABOUT
HIS DEAL ACCORDING TO A JUDGE.
WHAT DOES THAT FIT IN?
>> WELL, HE SQUARELY VIOLATED
THE CRIME VICTIMS RIGHTS ACT.
WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT VICTIMS
HAVE A RIGHT TO BE NOTIFIED IN A
TIMELY MANNER OF ANY POTENTIAL
PLEA ARRANGEMENT OR
NONPROSECUTION AGREEMENT, AND
THEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS
NONPROSECUTION AGREEMENT, ARI,
THERE IS A TERM IN IT THAT SAYS
WE AGREE TO KEEP THIS OUT OF THE
PUBLIC RECORD.
PUBLIC RECORD. AND THEN THERE IS THAT
INCREDIBLE LETTER THAT’S WRITTEN
BY JAY LEFKOWITZ, ONE OF
EPSTEIN’S ATTORNEYS, SAYING
THANK YOU, U.S. ATTORNEY ACOSTA
FOR AGREEING TO KEEP THIS UNDER
WRAPS AND NOT NOTIFYING THE
VICTIMS.
VICTIMS. THAT LETTER MIGHT WELL HAVE SAID
THANK YOU, U.S. ATTORNEY ACOSTA
FOR VIOLATING THE LAW, BECAUSE
THAT’S WHAT A FEDERAL JUDGE
FOUND THAT THEY DID.
>> AND IT AGAIN GOES TO SOME OF
THE WAY HE IS RECASTING IT TODAY
OH, FOR OR THAT REASON.
YOU CAN BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
YOUR POINT SOME OF THE EVIDENCE
SHOWS HOW MUCH IT WAS DONE AT
THE BEHEST OF THIS CONVICTED SEX
OFFENDER BILLIONAIRE.
OFFENDER BILLIONAIRE. GLEN KIRSCHNER, THANK YOU OF THE
YOUR REPORTING AND YOUR
ANALYSIS.
ANALYSIS. >> THANK YOU, ARI.
>>> ANOTHER UPDATE TO A STORY
WE’VE REPORTED ON A LOT HERE.
A FEDERAL APPEALS COURT HAS JUST
THROWN OUT, TOSSED A LAWSUIT
ALLEGING THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP
WAS ILLEGALLY PROFITING OFF THE
PRESIDENCY.
PRESIDENCY. THIS CAME FROM MARYLAND AND D.C.
ATTORNEYS GENERAL.
ATTORNEYS GENERAL. IT WAS ALL ABOUT SOMETHING YOU
MAY HAVE HEARD OF, THIS
CONSTITUTIONAL EMOLUMENTS
CONSTITUTIONAL EMOLUMENTS CLAUSE, THE IDEA HE WAS USING
HOTELS LIKE THIS ONE TO GET
MONEY FROM FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS
THAT IS A PROCEDURAL WIN FOR