Statement from Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz on U.S. Secretary Alex Acosta

Today Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement on U.S. Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta regarding his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case:

As a U.S. Attorney, Secretary Acosta violated the trust of the American public and exhibited a stunning disregard for our nation’s laws. He violated the law to shield a heinous perpetrator at the expense of the legal rights of dozens of survivors of child sexual abuse and assault. A court has now reached that conclusion in a decision handed down this week. Secretary Acosta has proven himself unworthy of the responsibility required for public service, especially as one of our nation’s top officials. That is why I am calling for his immediate resignation.

We also must ensure this can never happen again. My colleagues and I have asked the Senate Committee on the Judiciary to take up the Inspector General Access Act, a bill that would allow the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General to investigate allegations of misconduct relating to attorneys within the DOJ, from which they are not permitted to initiate independently now. This bill would foster greater transparency and accountability in our judicial system to prevent the type of subversion of justice Acosta facilitated.