ONLINE.
WE BELIEVE THAT WE
PROCEEDED APPROPRIATELY.
BASED ON THE EVIDENCE AND NOT
JUST MY OPINION BUT I HAVE SURE
THE AFFIDAVIT BASED ON THE
EVIDENCE.
THERE WAS VALUE TO GETTING A
GUILTY PLEA AND HAVING HIM
REGISTER.
LABOR SECRETARY ALEX ACOSTA
IS DEFENDING A SECTION RELATED
TO JEFFREY EPSTEIN PROSECUTION
A DECADE AGO.
ACOSTA WAS THE U.S. ATTORNEY IN
THIS SOUTH FLORIDA AT THE TIME
OF EPSTEIN'S PLEA DEAL AND IT
WAS BROKERED BY HIS OFFICE.
HE SAID HE STEPPED IN WEDNESDAY
PROSECUTORS APPEARED READY TO
LET HIM WALK.
CALLS FOR ACOSTA'S
RESIGNATION HAVE NOT SUBSIDED.
Reporter: THERE ARE STILL A
LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
HANDLING OF THIS PAST FLORIDA
CASE.
WHEN ASKED BY REPORTERS WHETHER
SECRETARY ACOSTA HAS ANY
REGRETS, HE BREAK RESPONSE THAT
NOW IS A DIFFERENT TIME FOR
VICTIMS AND TRANSPARENCY.
HE SAID HE BELIEVES HIS OFFICE
BACK THEN ACTED APPROPRIATELY.
WE WERE TRYING TO DO THE
RIGHT THING FOR THESE VICTIMS.
Reporter: LABOR SECRETARY
ALEX ACOSTA SAID HE AGREED TO A
2008 PLEA DEAL WITH JEFFREY
EPSTEIN BECAUSE HE WANTED TO
ENSURE THE BILLIONAIRE
FINANCIER DID NOT WALK.
WE DID WHAT WE DID BECAUSE
WE WANTED TO SEE HIM GO TO
JAIL.
HE NEEDED TO GO TO JAIL.
Reporter: EPSTEIN WAS
ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ABUSING
UNDERAGE GIRLS. AND
INVESTIGATOR CALLED THE
EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE GIRLS
STORIES OVERWHELMING.
THERE IS A BAKE-OFF BETWEEN
SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO GO TO
TRIAL AND SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
TO BE CONFIDENT IN THE OUTCOME
OF THAT TRIAL.
Reporter: EPSTEIN SERVED 13
MONTHS BUT WAS ALLOWED TO LEAVE
JAIL AND GO TO WORK SIX DAYS A
WEEK.
ACOSTA OFFERED AN EXPLANATION
FOR WHY THE DEAL WAS KEPT
SECRET FROM THE VICTIMS.
A FLORIDA JUDGE HAS RULED THAT
WAS ILLEGAL.
I REACHED OUT TO ACOSTA
NUMEROUS TIMES SAYING SIT DOWN
WITH US AND EXPLAIN WHY.
Reporter: CBS NEWS HAS
LEARNED PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
ENCOURAGED ACOSTA TO HOLD A
NEWS CONFERENCE TO EXPLAIN HIS
ACTIONS AS U.S. ATTORNEY.
MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
PRESIDENT'S OUTSTANDING.
HE HAS PUBLICLY MADE CLEAR THAT
I GOT HIS SUPPORT.
Reporter: DEMOCRATS SAY
ACOSTA SHOULD RESIGN.
THE STEAL STINKS.
IT WAS SECRET.
IMMORAL.
Reporter: LAWMAKERS WANT A
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PROBE
LAUNCHED EARLIER THIS YEAR
EXAMINING THE EPSTEIN PLEA DEAL
TO BE MADE PUBLIC.
DURING THIS NEWS CONFERENCE, AS
YOU HEARD, WE HEARD ACOSTA
CRITICIZE THE PALM BEACH COUNTY
HANDLING OF THE CASE BEFORE HIS
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
INTERVENED. TONIGHT, THE FORMER
STATE ATTORNEY FOR PALM BEACH
IS PUSHING BACK DISPUTING
ACOSTA'S RECOLLECTION OF THAT
TIME AND SAYING IF HE WAS SO
CONCERNED ABOUT THE PALM BEACH
CASE HE SHOULD HAVE MOVED
FORWARD WITH THE 53 PAGE
INDICTMENT THAT HIS OWN OFFICE
DRAFTED.
THAT IS NEW INFORMATION.
NO REACTION TONIGHT FROM THE
FORMER PALM BEACH COUNTY STATE
ATTORNEY DURING THAT TIME.
WE ARE ALSO HEARING FROM
SENATOR MARCO RUBIO WHO IS
AWAITING THE OUTCOME OF THE DOJ
PROBE.
WHEN ASKED WHETHER HE STILL IS
CONFIDENCE IN THIS SECRETARY
ACOSTA, HERE'S WHAT HE SAID.
WHAT HE HAS SAID IS THERE
ARE REAL QUESTIONS WHETHER THEY
COULD GET A CONVICTION AND
THEREFORE THEY STRUCK THE BEST
DEAL THEY COULD AND IT WAS
APPROVED ALL THE WAY UP TO THE
TOP OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
THE PROBE WILL DETERMINE, I
HOPE, THE DOJ PROBE IS GOING TO
LET US KNOW WHETHER THIS IS A
RESULT OF POLITICAL INFLUENCE
OR PROSECUTORIAL DECISION WHICH
MAY NOT OF BEEN THE RIGHT ONE.
I THINK IT WOULD BE PREMATURE
FOR ME TO A IN ON WHETHER THE
ANSWER IS.
Reporter: A LAWMAKER HAS
WRITTEN TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE TO TRY TO GET A STATUS
UPDATE OF WHERE THE DOJ PROBE
CURRENTLY STANDS.
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