July, 12 2019, 12:00am EDT
UltraViolet Urged Acosta to Resign, Congress to Investigate Epstein's Enablers
WASHINGTON
Moments ago, it was reported that Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta has resigned amidst the growning controversy that he granted a sweetheart deal that allowed convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein to plead to two state prostitution charges and serve out 13 months of an 18-month sentence prison sentence when Acosta was U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Florida.
Since December 2018, UltraViolet has been calling for Acosta's resignation, or for Congress to begin impeachment proceedings into him. More than 45,000 people signed onto a petition from UltraViolet calling on Congress to begin impeachment proceedings into Trump Administration Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, over his role as U.S. Attorney in Miami arranging a plea deal sentencing child sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein to only 13 months in prison.
In reaction to the news, Shaunna Thomas, executive director and co-founder of UltraViolet, issue the following statement:
"Acosta's resignation is good news, and demonstrates that people who enable sexual predators like Jeffrey Epstein can be held accountable. It is especially outrageous that Acosta remained in his job for as long as he did , as American workers--especially women--could not afford a Labor Secretary who would rather halt an investigation to shield wealthy sexual abusers from prosecution than protect sexually trafficked teenagers. Sexual harassment and assault are rampant in the American workplace, and it was clear that we could not trust Acosta to oversee labor policy and protect women in the workforce.
"But this should only be the beginning: we need to hold all the powerful people that engage in or enable sexual abuse accountable.
"That's why Congress should open a full investigation into President Trump, who was directly implicated as an enabler of Epstein, and is self-confessed serial sexual predator with nearly two dozen accusations against him. It is long past time that Congress do its job and hold abusers and their enablers accountable."
Earlier this week, UltraViolet, along with the American Federation of Teachers, CREDO Action, MoveOn projected "Acosta Enables Sex Trafficking," and "Acosta Must Go" onto the US Department of Labor building in Washington, DC.
VIEW PHOTOS OF THE PROJECTION HERE: https://www.flickr.com/photos/weareultraviolet/albums/72157709567424922
UltraViolet is a powerful and rapidly growing community of people mobilized to fight sexism and create a more inclusive world that accurately represents all women, from politics and government to media and pop culture.
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