Listen: Jeffrey Epstein, Labor Secretary Alexander Kosta, Mister Acosta discussed on The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
"Tonight fifty three minutes in front of reporters multiple opportunities and yet no apology Jeffrey Epstein's Victims Labor Secretary Alexander Kosta defends the plea deal cut eleven years ago as a U._S.. Attorney that now threatens his job. The devastating and lurid charges against a longtime friend of the president who is also a sex offender now means the president has three acquaintances in jail it also means more major drama for this president circle including his cabinet and how dire is the threat to our upcoming presidential election and if it's as serious as what Congress was briefed on today. Why isn't this man more concerned about it all of it as has the eleventh hour gets underway on a Wednesday night? Well good evening once again from our N._B._C.. News headquarters here in New York Day nine. Oh two of the trump administration and today the secretary of Labor Alex Kosta was fighting to keep his job and he did so on live television. He called a press conference at the U._S.. Department of Labor that would be inside the tax payer funded briefing room at the U._S.. Department Department of Labor to talk about sex offender from New York specifically he was defending his role in an extraordinarily lenient plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein that he agreed to when he was U._S.. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida over a decade ago Epstein. You'll recall was given immunity from Federal Prosecution. He had to serve thirteen months in county jail while being allowed out for twelve hours a day six days a week. Epstein abstain is now facing new charges of sex trafficking brought by the feds here in New York. His arrest on his private jet Saturday night has refocused attention on a Kosta and now threatens his job in the cabinet. The source tells N._B._C. News that Pastas Public Defense of the Florida deal today came at the president's request in two thousand six grand jury convened by the State Attorney. The district trying to Palm Beach County reviewed the evidence and recommended a a single charge and that charge would have resulted in no jail time at all no registration as a sexual offender and no restitution to the victims without the work of our prosecutors Epstein would have gotten away off with just that state charge. Would you make this agreement today. We now have twelve years of knowledge in hindsight and we live in a very different world. Today's world treats victims very very differently. Today's world does not allow some of the victims shame that have taken place at trial twelve years ago. Dozens of girls were allegedly molested molested. Why didn't you just keep investigating under the agreement? In the Southern District of Florida the investigation ceased and they had the opportunity to proceed civilly. What is the message to victims who say they don't trust you anymore? The messages you need to come forward have nothing else to say to these victims beyond you should come forward that places a lot of burden on children <hes>. What else do you have to say? I have seen these interviews and I can't I generally be can't begin to fathom what these victims have been. Through at the same time I think it's important to stand up for the prosecutors of my former office and make clear that what they were trying to do was help these victims that last question to a cost Kosta the one about the victims was from Katie Rogers or the New York Times who standing by to join us in a moment late today the former palm beach state attorney fired back with a statement that reads in part quote. I can emphatically state that. Mr Costa's recollection collection of this matter is completely wrong. If Mister Acosta was truly concerned with the state's case and felt he had to rhys rescue the matter forgive me he would have moved forward with the fifty three page indictment that his own office drafted instead Mister Acosta brokered a secret plea deal Mister Acosta should not be allowed to rewrite history as all this is taking place.."