Senate Democrats are demanding US Justice Dept. disclose full results of an investigation into whether Labor Sec. Acosta is guilty of “professional misconduct” in his handling of a sex crime prosecution against billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
Al Drago / Getty Images fileGet breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats are demanding the Department of Justice disclose the full results of an investigation into whether U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is guilty of “professional misconduct” in his, Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Tim Kaine, D-Va.
Acosta was the U.S. attorney for South Florida in 2007, when federal prosecutors struck a deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty to two felony charges in state court and ruling out federal charges. The letter reflects concern on Capitol Hill that the department may not be planning a full public disclosure of all of the details of a highly controversial case involving a Trump Cabinet official — the latest example, many Democrats contend, of an administration that is not committed to transparency around investigations involving its own.
Kaine and Murray note that officials at the DOJ had indicated they would share its results “as appropriate” and “consistent with past practices,” while not committing to sharing a full version with the public. And while they acknowledged DOJ policies that “substantially restrict” public disclosure of its records in general, they contend that standard should not apply to Acosta.
“There must be legitimate oversight by Congress and answers for survivors and the public, particularly when those records concern a present Cabinet official,” the two wrote.
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