Acosta Holds Press Conference Defending NPA, Resigns Days Later
On July 10, 2019, Alexander Acosta held a press conference defending his 2008 role approving the Epstein NPA. He resigned as Labor Secretary nine days later as bipartisan political pressure became untenable.
People Involved
On July 10, 2019 — four days after Jeffrey Epstein’s federal arrest — Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta held an afternoon press conference specifically to address his role as U.S. Attorney in approving the 2007–2008 non-prosecution agreement.
Acosta’s defense centered on three arguments: that the NPA had produced real consequences (state imprisonment and sex offender registration) compared to the uncertainty of a federal trial; that the FBI had recommended the deal as the best achievable outcome; and that his office had been constrained by the evidentiary and legal environment of the time.
Legal experts, victims’ advocates, and members of Congress rejected this defense. The NPA’s terms — particularly the co-conspirator immunity clause, the secret negotiations, and the extraordinary deference shown to Epstein’s legal team — were characterized as far outside the bounds of normal prosecutorial practice.
Bipartisan congressional calls for Acosta’s resignation intensified over the following days. He announced his resignation on July 19, 2019. President Trump, who had initially defended him, accepted the resignation.
Acosta’s departure focused attention on the institutional dimension of the NPA failure — the question of how a federal prosecutor had approved such terms and what pressures or inducements might have been involved.