Question
What did Acosta say at his 2019 press conference defending the NPA?
Answer
On July 10, 2019 — four days after Jeffrey Epstein’s federal arrest — Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta held an afternoon press conference specifically to defend his role as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida in approving the 2007–2008 non-prosecution agreement.
Acosta’s Main Arguments:
1. The deal produced real consequences. Acosta argued that the NPA resulted in Epstein serving 13 months in prison (largely as work release), registering as a sex offender, and paying restitution to victims — outcomes that were better than what a federal prosecution might have achieved given the evidence available at the time.
2. Federal trial success was uncertain. Acosta argued that prosecutors faced significant challenges in building a federal case at the time — including witness reliability issues and the overall complexity of the evidence — and that the NPA was a pragmatic response to those challenges.
3. The FBI recommended the deal. Acosta claimed that FBI agents working the case supported the NPA as the best available outcome.
4. He was constrained by the environment. Acosta argued that protocols and the legal environment of 2007 shaped his office’s decisions in ways that would be different under current standards.
Immediate responses: Legal experts, victim advocates, and members of Congress from both parties rejected these arguments. Critics noted that the NPA’s extraordinary terms — including the secrecy, the co-conspirator immunity, and the work release arrangement — went far beyond what any evidentiary uncertainty could justify.
Acosta resigned nine days later, on July 19, 2019.
Sources
- July 10, 2019 press conference transcript and video
- Congressional responses from Senate Judiciary Committee members
- Legal analysis from victims’ attorneys