President Donald Trump has announced that Labor Secretary Alex Acosta is resigning from his Cabinet position.
Acosta was facing increasing criticism over a 2008 sweetheart, non-prosecution deal he made with hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of abusing dozens of women and girls. The deal allowed Epstein to serve 13 months in a county jail on prostitution charges instead.
On Friday morning, the president said that Acosta believed that he had become a distraction.
In his resignation letter, Acosta wrote: "Your agenda, putting the American people first, must avoid any distractions. A Cabinet position is a temporary trust. I must set aside a part of me that wants to continue my service with the thousands of talented professionals at the Department of Labor."
When speaking to reporters, Trump said: "This was him, not me. Because I am with him. He is a tremendous talent. He is a Hispanic man. He went to Harvard. A great student."
"In so many ways, I just hate what he's saying now because we're going to miss him," the president added.
Acosta called for the media to cover more successes from the Department of Labor. "I do not think it is right and fair for this administration's Labor Department to have Epstein as a focus, rather than the incredible economy we have today."
Trump also downplayed his relationship with Epstein, saying that he was not "a big fan" of the financier and that they had a "falling out."
Last weekend, Epstein was arrested on new child sex-trafficking charges for allegations dating back to the early 2000's, following recent reporting from the Miami Herald. On Monday, he pleaded not guilty.
Acosta’s resignation appears to backslide from what Acosta had said at a press conference on Wednesday, when he defended his handling of the Epstein case and stated he had the confidence of both the president and Office of Management and Budget head Mick Mulvaney.
"My relationship with the President is outstanding," the labor secretary had said at the time.
Acosta's resignation will be effective next Friday.
The pay is a driving factor behind a three-day strike that has shut down the entire Los Angeles school system and put a spotlight on the paltry pay of support staff that serves as the backbone of schools nationwide.
Musician Bruce Springsteen, actress Mindy Kaling and designer, Vera Wang were some of the celebrities honored at the White House on Tuesday. President Biden and his wife Dr Jill Biden gave honorees medals. Other honorees included Gladys Knight, Julia Louis Dreyfus and Amy Tan. The medals are Biden's first batch of awards for the arts and humanities. They were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 119,000 people have been injured by tear gas and other chemical irritants around the world since 2015 and some 2,000 suffered injuries from “less lethal” impact projectiles, according to a report released Wednesday.
TikTok has rolled out updated rules and standards for content and its CEO warned against a possible U.S. ban on the video sharing app as he prepares to face Congress.
Tens of thousands of workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District walked off the job Tuesday over stalled contract talks, and they are being joined in solidarity by teachers in a three-day strike that has shut down the nation’s second-largest school system.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is trying project calm after regional bank failures, saying the U.S. banking system is “sound” but additional rescue arrangements “could be warranted” if any new failures at smaller institutions pose a risk to financial stability.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom over the weekend announced that the state has secured a contract with CIVCA to make $30 insulin available to all who need it. He also announced that the state will start manufacturing Naloxone, an emergency medication used to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
