GOP silent on Trump official who let child sex trafficker off with slap on the wrist

Republican leaders have been silent on the role that Labor Secretary Alex Acosta played in arranging a sweetheart deal for child predator Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein, a longtime friend of Trump’s, was charged in federal court Monday with recruiting a “vast network of underage victims” for sex trafficking.

Before he joined the Trump administration, Acosta arranged a shockingly lenient plea deal for Epstein when he served as U.S. attorney. Despite credible allegations that he molested hundreds of young girls, Acosta allowed Epstein to serve a mere 13 months in a county jail on two charges of felony prostitution. Epstein was also allowed to leave the prison on work release for 16 hours a day, six days a week.

Acosta defended his actions on Tuesday, claiming the short sentence for the criminal was appropriate.

Despite the serious and sickening charges against Epstein, and despite growing public outrage over Acosta’s role, Republican leaders have been silent.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said nothing publicly about the case, nor did House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. The second highest-ranking GOP leaders in both chambers, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Sen. John Thune (R-SD), also had nothing to say about the Trump administration’s pedophile enabler.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said he would wait for a report from the Department of Justice before he would have a position on Acosta.

“Several Republican senators told me they don’t know enough facts about the Jeffrey Epstein/Acosta situation to comment,” Bloomberg reporter Steven Dennis noted on Monday night.

However, details of Acosta’s actions were reported on in 2018, and the Trump administration commented on the issue in February.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Tuesday the plea deal should be looked at if it “doesn’t withstand scrutiny,” but did not call for Acosta to resign or be fired. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) echoed Graham’s soft approach to Acosta’s enabling of a sex criminal.

In light of the new charges against Epstein, leading Democrats called for Acosta to step down from his position in Trump’s Cabinet.

“As US Attorney, he engaged in an unconscionable agreement w/ Jeffrey Epstein kept secret from courageous, young victims preventing them from seeking justice,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote.

“It is now impossible for anyone to have confidence in Secretary Acosta’s ability to lead the Department of Labor,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech.

Several Democratic presidential candidates also called for Acosta to step down.

Republicans have a track record of supporting known pedophiles.

Their silence on Epstein’s connection to both Acosta and Trump continues the GOP’s disturbing pattern of enabling sexual abusers.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.