Senator Murray: “This is an appalling example of what happens when powerful men protect one another and allow cycles of abuse to continue without any consequences”
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate labor committee, issued the statement below following Jeffrey Epstein’s federal indictment on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. In 2007, Secretary Acosta, then the U.S. Attorney in Florida, allowed Epstein to avoid federal prosecution for sex trafficking charges involving dozens of underage victims, and a federal judge recently ruled that prosecutors in Acosta’s office violated the law by failing to notify Epstein’s victims of a non-prosecution agreement.
“Secretary Acosta’s role in protecting Jeffrey Epstein and denying survivors justice is one of the many reasons why I opposed his nomination in the first place. As more information continues to shine a needed spotlight on the ‘deal of a lifetime’ that Acosta helped negotiate for a child sex predator, it’s clear it is time for him to step aside.
“This is an appalling example of what happens when powerful men protect one another and allow cycles of abuse to continue without any consequences. All those involved should be held fully accountable for the pain they have caused.”
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