White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday declined to say whether President Trump has full confidence in Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, telling reporters that Acosta’s involvement in a 2007 plea deal with alleged serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is “currently under review.”
“Because of that I can’t get into a lot of specifics, but we’re certainly looking at it,” Sanders said at a press briefing, adding that she’s “not aware of any personnel changes.”
Sanders said she’s unsure of any timeline on the investigation into the handling of the case.
{mosads}The Justice Department launched an investigation in early February into how federal attorneys handled Epstein’s case more than a decade ago.
A federal judge ruled late last month that prosecutors, including Acosta, violated the rights of Epstein’s accusers by failing to notify them that there was a non-prosecution agreement in place for the billionaire.
Trump told reporters last month that he didn’t know much about the case, but that Acosta had “done a great job as Labor secretary.”
Acosta’s role in the Epstein deal came under fresh scrutiny following a Miami Herald investigation into the case. The story quoted multiple people involved in the 2007 case who accused Acosta, who was a U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Florida at the time, of caving to pressure from Epstein’s lawyers to cut a preferential plea deal.
Epstein originally faced a 53-page indictment for sex trafficking and related crimes.
Democrats have pushed for Acosta’s ouster in recent weeks, citing his involvement in the Epstein case.