WASHINGTON _ Democrats are calling for Labor Secretary Alex Acosta's resignation. Republicans support an internal investigation into Acosta's role in a controversial plea deal for multimillionaire sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein in 2008.
But Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, one of President Donald Trump's biggest defenders in Congress, is taking a different approach.
In an interview with the Miami Herald this week, Gaetz said re-examining Acosta's handling of Epstein's case, which came under increased scrutiny after the Herald's three-part series Perversion of Justice, sets a "dangerous" precedent for prosecutors. A federal judge ruled last week that prosecutors run by Acosta, then the U.S. attorney for South Florida, broke the law when they failed to inform Epstein's underage victims of the plea agreement. The judge gave federal prosecutors 15 days to confer with Epstein's victims and their attorneys to come up with a resolution.
