BREAKING: Allied Progress Launches New Ad Campaign

Senate Must Allow Investigation of Labor Secretary Acosta’s “Sweetheart Plea Deal” for Billionaire Involved in Numerous Child Sex Abuse Crimes

Senate Pressured To Advance the Inspector General Access Act As Acosta Maintains His Mishandling of Epstein Case as a U.S. Attorney was a “Point of Pride”

 



Click Here to Watch “Point of Pride”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Allied Progress announced a digital ad campaign calling on the U.S. Senate to approve the Department of Justice Department Inspector General’s formal request for authority to investigate potential prosecutorial misconduct by Labor Secretary Alexandra Acosta during his time as a U.S. Attorney – misconduct that allowed a politically-connected billionaire implicated in sex crimes involving 30 or more underage girls to get away with an inexcusably light sentence. The victims and their families deserve answers to why Acosta has no regrets for his mishandling of the case, and in fact bragged during his confirmation hearing that his sweetheart plea deal was a “point of pride” and later called the outcome a “good thing.”

Allied Progress, which worked to raise public awareness about Acosta’s kid-gloves treatment of Jeffrey Epstein’s child sexual exploitation case during his Labor Secretary nomination process, is urging the more than 130,000 activists on its email list to share a new video, “Point of Pride”, on social media networks [View script and backup here]. Activists are also asked to sign a petitiondemanding the Senate hold Acosta accountable by moving forward H.R. 202, the bipartisan Inspector General Access Act, which cleared the U.S. House on January 15th and would allow a long overdue investigation to go forward. The video and petition are backed by paid ads on Twitter and Facebook.

“Secretary Acosta doesn’t just believe it was appropriate to let a wealthy, connected man involved in rampant child sex abuse walk away with a slap on the wrist, he actually considers it a ‘point of pride’ – even worse, a ‘good thing,’”said Jeremy Funk, spokesman for Allied Progress. “While it’s certainly a good thing someone with such a weak dedication to justice is no longer a U.S. Attorney, Acosta still must answer for his gross misconduct during that time. All eyes are on the Senate to stop stalling, stop blindly protecting the Trump administration and give the Inspector General the authority he has asked for. The ball is currently in Senate Judiciary Chairman Graham’s court. Senators will continue to hear from constituents if Graham drops it.” 

Added Funk: “It remains troubling that someone like Alex Acosta with a clear lack of judgement is serving as the nation’s Labor Secretary and is in a position make more decisions that benefit the powerful at the expense of the powerless, but on a much larger scale.” 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Research On Alex Acosta Helping Billionaire Sex Abuser Jeffrey Epstein Avoid Justice

Federal Prosecutors Led By Alex Acosta Failed To Charge Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein For His Serial Sexual Abuse Of Underage Girls—And Offered Him A Secret Plea Bargain Instead.

Federal Prosecutors Suspected Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein Of Sexually Abusing Up To 40 Underage Girls, But Failed To Charge Him.

Federal Prosecutors “Suspected Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein Abused Up To 40 Underage Girls – But They Failed To Charge Him And Instead Offered Him A Secret Plea Bargain.” “Prosecutors suspected billionaire Jeffrey Epstein abused up to 40 underage girls – but they failed to charge him and instead offered him a secret plea bargain, court documents have revealed. His lawyers also succeeded in delaying letters being sent out to his alleged victims informing them that their cases were not being pursued. The letters were sent out the month after the plea deal was struck which gave him immunity from further prosecution, according to newly released papers. A judge has released a cache of sealed documents from his plea deal in 2008 that include emails from prosecutors to his lawyers that will fuel suspicions they colluded to ensure he did not face the most serious charges. In 2007, Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Villafana sent an email to his lawyer Jay Lefkowitz stating: ‘I wanted to tell you that I have compiled a list of 34 confirmed minors. There are six others, whose names we already have, who need to be interviewed by the FBI to confirm whether they were 17 or 18 at the time of their activity with Mr. Epstein.’ The emails also suggest that prosecutors attempted to keep information about his alleged crimes from judges.” [Julian Robinson, “Prosecutors suspected billionaire Jeffrey Epstein abused 34 underage girls but they failed to charge him and instead offered him a secret plea bargain, court documents reveal,” Daily Mail, 07/08/15]

  • Under The Plea Deal With Acosta’s Office Epstein “He Pleaded Guilty To Two State Charges, Did His Time In Jail, Paid Settlements To Many Of The Alleged Victims And Registered As A Sex Offender.” “Epstein, 65, reached the non-prosecution deal with Acosta’s office while under investigation on suspicion of sexually abusing at least 40 teenage girls. Under the deal, he pleaded guilty to two state charges, did his time in jail, paid settlements to many of the alleged victims and registered as a sex offender. According to court papers, Epstein had a Palm Beach mansion where girls were brought for what they were sometimes told were massage sessions. He allegedly had female fixers who would look for suitable girls, some of them recruited from Eastern Europe and other parts of the world. Before the scandal broke, Epstein was friends with Trump and had visited the real estate developer’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump told interviewers that Epstein was ‘a great guy.’ Records also show Clinton flew on Epstein’s jet more than two dozen times. Neither Trump nor Clinton has been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein. Epstein could have faced a far more severe penalty if federal prosecutors had pursued a draft 53-page indictment that was never filed and included sex trafficking charges.” [Curt Anderson, “Financier Jeffrey Epstein settles lawsuit, avoiding testimony by women in sex abuse case,” South Florida Sun Sentinel, 12/04/18]

Jeffrey Epstein Routinely Sexually Abused Girls Recruited To Give Massages At His Palm Beach Mansion–And May Have Abused More Than 80 Underage Girls. 

Jeffrey Epstein Routinely Paid Underage Girls To Give Him Massages And Subjected Them To Sexual Abuse. 

Jeffrey Epstein Would Pay Underage Girls To Give Him Massages, At Which “He Often Subjected The Girls To Sexual Abuse — Asking Them To Touch Him While He Masturbated, Touching Them Himself, And Sometimes Having Intercourse With Them.” “According to court and police records reviewed by the Miami Herald’s Julie Brown, Epstein routinely had underage girls brought to his Palm Beach mansion, where he paid them to give him massages. During the massages, he often subjected the girls to sexual abuse — asking them to touch him while he masturbated, touching them himself, and sometimes having intercourse with them, Brown reports.” [Jane Coaston and Anna North, “Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who is friends with Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, explained,” Vox, 12/04/18]

  • Detectives Working The Case Were “Astonished By The Sheer Volume Of Young Girls Coming And Going From His House.” “Reiter, also speaking for the first time, said detectives were astonished by the sheer volume of young girls coming and going from his house, the frequency — sometimes several in the same day — and the young ages of the girls. ‘It started out to give a man a back rub, but in many cases it turned into something far worse than that, elevated to a serious crime, in some cases sexual batteries,’ he said.” [Julie K. Brown, “How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime,”The Miami-Herald, 11/28/18]

Jeffrey Epstein Paid Young Female Recruiters To Assemble “A Large, Cult-Like Network Of Underage Girls.”

Jeffrey Epstein Was Accused Of Paying Girls To “Recruit” Other Underage Girls For Him. “His client, Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, 54, was accused of assembling a large, cult-like network of underage girls — with the help of young female recruiters — to coerce into having sex acts behind the walls of his opulent waterfront mansion as often as three times a day, the Town of Palm Beach police found.” [Julie K. Brown, “How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime,”The Miami-Herald, 11/28/18]

The Miami Herald Identified Around 80 Women Who Said They Were Sexually Abused By Jeffrey Epstein.

Jeffrey Epstein Was Described As Running A “’Sexual Pyramid Scheme’” With Potentially 80 Women Having Been “Molested Or Otherwise Sexually Abused By Epstein.” “According to Joseph Recarey, the lead Palm Beach detective on the case, Epstein was essentially operating a ‘sexual pyramid scheme.’ Brown identified about 80 women who say they were molested or otherwise sexually abused by Epstein, and some accounts suggest the total number may be much higher.” [Jane Coaston and Anna North, “Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who is friends with Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, explained,” Vox, 12/04/18]

Alex Acosta Struck A Plea Deal With Jeffrey Epstein’s Attorney, Jay Lefkowitz—A Former Colleague Of Acosta’s From Kirkland & Ellis. 

In October 2007, Alex Acosta And Jeffrey Epstein’s Attorney Struck A Plea Deal At A “Critical” Meeting Held At The West Palm Beach Marriott, About 70 Miles Away From Acosta’s Office In Miami.

In October 2007, Alex Acosta And Jeffrey Epstein’s Attorney, Jay Lefkowitz, Struck A Plea Deal At A “Critical” Meeting Held At The “Marriott In West Palm Beach, About 70 Miles Away” From Acosta’s Office In Miami. “On a muggy October morning in 2007, Miami’s top federal prosecutor, Alex Acosta, had a breakfast appointment with a former colleague, Washington, D.C., attorney Jay Lefkowitz. […] Instead of meeting at the prosecutor’s Miami headquarters, the two men — both with professional roots in the prestigious Washington law firm of Kirkland & Ellis — convened at the Marriott in West Palm Beach, about 70 miles away.” [Julie K. Brown, “How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime,”The Miami-Herald, 11/28/18]

  • “For Lefkowitz, 44, a U.S. special envoy to North Korea and corporate lawyer, the meeting was critical. His client, Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, 54, was accused of assembling a large, cult-like network of underage girls — with the help of young female recruiters — to coerce into having sex acts behind the walls of his opulent waterfront mansion as often as three times a day, the Town of Palm Beach police found.” [Julie K. Brown, “How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime,”The Miami-Herald, 11/28/18]

Alex Acosta And Jeffrey Epstein’s Attorney, Jay Lefkowitz, Were Former Colleagues At The Law Firm Kirkland & Ellis.

Alex Acosta And Jeffrey Epstein’s Attorney, Jay Lefkowitz, Were Former Colleagues At Law Firm Kirkland & Ellis. “Acosta and Lefkowitz were former colleagues from their time at top-ranked law firm Kirkland & Ellis.” [Ashley Collman, “Stunning new report details Trump’s labor secretary’s role in plea deal for billionaire sex abuser,” Business Insider,12/01/18]

The Plea Deal Arranged By Alex Acosta Concealed Jeffrey Epstein’s Crimes—And Was Kept Secret From His Victims Until After It Was Approved. 

Jeffrey Epstein’s Plea Deal Concealed “The Full Extent Of Epstein’s Crimes” And Granted Immunity To “Any Potential Co-Conspirators.”

Acosta And Lefkowitz Struck A Plea Deal That Would “Conceal The Full Extent Of Epstein’s Crimes And The Number Of People Involved,” With Wording That “Granted Immunity To ‘Any Potential Co-Conspirators’ Who Were Also Involved In Epstein’s Crimes.” “Facing a 53-page federal indictment, Epstein could have ended up in federal prison for the rest of his life. But on the morning of the breakfast meeting, a deal was struck — an extraordinary plea agreement that would conceal the full extent of Epstein’s crimes and the number of people involved.” [Julie K. Brown, “How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime,”The Miami-Herald, 11/28/18]

  • Acosta’s Plea Deal “Granted Immunity To ‘Any Potential Co-Conspirators’ Who Were Also Involved In Epstein’s Crimes.” “The pact required Epstein to plead guilty to two prostitution charges in state court. Epstein and four of his accomplices named in the agreement received immunity from all federal criminal charges. But even more unusual, the deal included wording that granted immunity to ‘any potential co-conspirators’ who were also involved in Epstein’s crimes. These accomplices or participants were not identified in the agreement, leaving it open to interpretation whether it possibly referred to other influential people who were having sex with underage girls at Epstein’s various homes or on his plane.”[Julie K. Brown, “How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime,”The Miami-Herald, 11/28/18]

Alex Acosta Agreed To Keep The Plea Deal Secret From The Victims “Despite A Federal Law To The Contrary.”

Acosta Agreed To Keep The Plea Deal Secret From The Victims “Despite A Federal Law To The Contrary.” “As part of the arrangement, Acosta agreed, despite a federal law to the contrary, that the deal would be kept from the victims. As a result, the non-prosecution agreement was sealed until after it was approved by the judge, thereby averting any chance that the girls — or anyone else — might show up in court and try to derail it.” [Julie K. Brown, “How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime,”The Miami-Herald, 11/28/18]

Jeffrey Epstein’s Plea Deal Let Him Avoid A Serious Sentence For His Crimes. Instead, He Served A Little Over A Year In County Jail, Which He Got To Leave For Twelve Hours A Day, Six Days A Week, To Work In His Comfortable Office.

Jeffrey Epstein Only Served “13 Months In A County Jail.”

Jeffrey Epstein Could Have Served Life In Prison, But “Ultimately Got Just 13 Months In A County Jail.” “Jeffrey Epstein could have gone to prison for life. The money manager was accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls at his Palm Beach mansion between 2001 and 2006. But as Julie K. Brown reports at the Miami Herald, he ultimately got just 13 months in a county jail, thanks to a deal signed by Alexander Acosta, then the US Attorney for Miami and now President Trump’s secretary of labor.” [Jane Coaston and Anna North, “Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who is friends with Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, explained,” Vox, 12/04/18]

Jeffrey Epstein Was Allowed To Leave His Private Wing In County Jail Six Days A Week, For 12 Hours A Day—Even Though Sex Offenders Didn’t Qualify For Work Release.

Jeffrey Epstein Served His Sentence In A “Private Wing Of The Palm Beach County Jail.” “Unlike other convicted sex offenders, Epstein didn’t face the kind of rough justice that child sex offenders do in Florida state prisons. Instead of being sent to state prison, Epstein was housed in a private wing of the Palm Beach County jail.” [Julie K. Brown, “How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime,”The Miami-Herald, 11/28/18]

Jeffrey Epstein Was Allowed To Leave His Cell “Six Days A Week, For 12 Hours A Day,” Spending This Time In A “Comfortable Office” In West Palm Beach. “And rather than having him sit in a cell most of the day, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office allowed Epstein work release privileges, which enabled him to leave the jail six days a week, for 12 hours a day, to go to a comfortable office that Epstein had set up in West Palm Beach.” [Julie K. Brown, “How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime,”The Miami-Herald, 11/28/18]

Instead Of Serving Time In Prison, Jeffrey Epstein Is Now “Jet Setting” Between New York And His Permanent Residence In The U.S. Virgin Islands In His Private Jet.

Jeffrey Epstein Is Now “Jet Setting” In His “Private Jet,” Flying “Back And Forth Mainly Between New York And His Permanent Residency In The U.S. Virgin Islands.” “GARCIA-NAVARRO: What is Epstein doing now? [MIAMI HERALD REPORTER JULIE] BROWN: He has a private jet. You know, he flies back and forth mainly between New York and his permanent residency in the U.S. Virgin Islands. But he also – you know, over the summer, he was abroad. He was in Paris. And he still has the house in Palm Beach. GARCIA-NAVARRO: So he’s basically living his life. BROWN: Yeah, he’s jet setting. He’s also tried to, I think, repair his reputation, if that’s possible, by donating, you know, a lot of money to mostly scientific research causes. He’s donated a lot of money to Harvard University and to various other arts and science foundations.” [“Jeffrey Epstein Allegedly Sexually Abused Underage Girls And Served A Light Sentence,”NPR, 12/02/18]

Palm Beach Post: Epstein’s Plea Deal Was “An Indictment Of A System That Did Much More For A Criminal Than For His Victims.”

The Palm Beach Post Said Epstein’s Plea Deal Was “Is An Indictment Of A System That Did Much More For A Criminal Than For His Victims.” The Palm Beach Post said the plea “deal is an indictment of a system that did much more for a criminal than for his victims. Jeffrey Epstein – officially a registered sex offender but in plain terms a pervert – escaped what should have been serious prison time. Instead, the federal deal allowed him to plead guilty to light charges in state court. He spent just 13 months – nights only – in the Palm Beach County Jail.” [“Sleazy Perp, Sleazier Deal,” Palm Beach Post, 09/22/09]

Alex Acosta Defended His Failure To Prosecute Epstein’s Case And Called The Plea Deal “A Point Of Pride” And “A Good Thing.” 

Alex Acosta Said Jeffrey Epstein’s Plea Deal Was “A Point Of Pride” During His Confirmation Hearing.

Alex Acosta Said Jeffrey Epstein’s Plea Deal Was “A Point Of Pride” During His Confirmation Hearing. Alex Acosta said the plea deal he gave to Jeffrey Epstein “really was a point of pride” when asked about it in his confirmation hearing.[“Kaine Questions Acosta About Plea Deal in Billionaire’s Sex Case Involving Underage Girls (Round 2),” Allied Progress on YouTube, 03/22/17 (5:10)]

Alex Acosta Called The Outcome Of Epstein’s Case “A Good Thing.”

When Questioned About The Epstein Case During His Nomination Hearing For Labor Secretary, Acosta Described The Outcome As “A Good Thing.” “Upon his nomination by Trump as labor secretary in 2017, Acosta was questioned about the Epstein case during a Senate confirmation hearing. ‘At the end of the day, based on the evidence, professionals within a prosecutor’s office decided that a plea that guarantees someone goes to jail, that guarantees he register [as a sex offender] generally and guarantees other outcomes, is a good thing,’’ Acosta said of his decision to not prosecute Epstein federally.” [Julie K. Brown, “How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime,”The Miami-Herald, 11/28/18]

  • Alex Acosta defended his actions in the matter saying, “‘our judgment in this case, based on the evidence known at the time, was that it was better to have a billionaire serve time in jail, register as a sex offender and pay his victims restitution than risk a trial with a reduced likelihood of success.’“ [Paula McMahon, “Billionaire sex offender’s ‘sweetheart deal’ violated our rights, victims tell feds,” Sun Sentinel, 01/02/16]

Alex Acosta Repeatedly “Acquiesced” To The Demands Of Epstein’s Legal Team, Despite Enough Evidence To Convict Him.

Alex Acosta Repeatedly “Acquiesced To Epstein’s Legal Team’s Demands.” “Acosta, in 2011, would explain that he was unduly pressured by Epstein’s heavy-hitting lawyers — Lefkowitz, Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, Jack Goldberger, Roy Black, former U.S. Attorney Guy Lewis, Gerald Lefcourt, and Kenneth Starr, the former Whitewater special prosecutor who investigated Bill Clinton’s sexual liaisons with Monica Lewinsky. […] In email after email, Acosta and the lead federal prosecutor, A. Marie Villafaña, acquiesced to Epstein’s legal team’s demands, which often focused on ways to limit the scandal by shutting out his victims and the media, including suggesting that the charges be filed in Miami, instead of Palm Beach, where Epstein’s victims lived.” [Julie K. Brown, “How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime,”The Miami-Herald, 11/28/18]

  • According To Mike Fisten, A “Former Miami-Dade Police Sergeant” And “A Member Of The FBI Organized Crime Task Force, Alex Acosta Often “Overruled” Efforts To “Put Epstein Away For A Long Time.” “Mike Fisten, a former Miami-Dade police sergeant who was also a homicide investigator and a member of the FBI Organized Crime Task Force, said the FBI had enough evidence to put Epstein away for a long time but was overruled by Acosta. Some of the agents involved in the case were disappointed by Acosta’s bowing to pressure from Epstein’s lawyers, he said. ‘The day that a sitting U.S. attorney is afraid of a lawyer or afraid of a defendant is a very sad day in this country,’’ said Fisten, now a private investigator for Edwards.” [Julie K. Brown, “How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime,”The Miami-Herald, 11/28/18]

Democratic And Republican Members Of Congress Have Called On The Justice Department To Investigate Alex Acosta’s Plea Deal With Jeffrey Epstein.

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) Urged The Justice Department To “Open Investigations Into Possible Misconduct Of Federal Officials Who Handled The Epstein Case.”

In December 2018, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) Wrote Letters To “Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski, The Justice Department’s Inspector General Michael Horowitz, And The Director Of Professional Responsibility Corey Amundson” Urging Them To “Open Investigations Into Possible Misconduct Of Federal Officials Who Handled The Epstein Case.” “Infuriated by a bombshell Miami Herald investigative series on Epstein’s crimes — which highlighted the sweetheart deal Epstein’s lawyers got from Miami’s then-top prosecutor Alexander Acosta (now Trump’s labor secretary) — Sasse sent three letters to senior Justice officials on Monday, asking them to open investigations into possible misconduct of federal officials who handled the Epstein case. […] Sasse sent letters to Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski, the Justice Department’s Inspector General Michael Horowitz […], and the Director of Professional Responsibility Corey Amundson.” [Jonathan Swan and Marisa Fernandez, “Ben Sasse asks Justice Department to investigate itself on Jeffrey Epstein,”Axios, 12/04/18]

A Group Of Congressional Democrats Led By Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) Called On The Justice Department To Investigate Acosta’s Plea Deal With Epstein.

In December 2018, A Group Of “15 Democratic Members Of Congress, Led By Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz” Requested That The Justice Department’s Inspector General, Michael Horowitz, Investigate Acosta’s Approval Of Epstein’s Plea Deal. “15 Democratic members of Congress, led by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), sent a letter to Horowitz on Friday, asking him to investigate how Acosta approved the deal.” [Jonathan Swan and Marisa Fernandez, “Ben Sasse asks Justice Department to investigate itself on Jeffrey Epstein,”Axios, 12/04/18]

There Is Bipartisan Support For The Inspector General Access Act, Which Would Empower The Justice Department To Investigate Alex Acosta’s Work As A Federal Attorney.

H.R. 202, The Inspector General Access Act Of 2019, Would Empower The Department Of Justice Inspector General To Investigate Alex Acosta’s Work As A U.S. Attorney.

The Inspector General Access Act Of 2019 “Transfers Responsibility For Investigating Certain Allegations Of Misconduct From The Department Of Justice (DOJ) Office Of Professional Responsibility To The DOJ Office Of The Inspector General.” “[The Inspector General Access Act of 2019] transfers responsibility for investigating certain allegations of misconduct from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Professional Responsibility to the DOJ Office of the Inspector General. Specifically, the bill transfers responsibility for allegations relating to a DOJ attorney’s authority to investigate, litigate, or provide legal advice.” [H.R. 202 – Inspector General Access Act of 2019, U.S. House of Representatives, 01/03/19]

H.R. 202 Has Bipartisan Support From Three Democrats And One Republican.

H.R. 202 Is Sponsored By A Democrat And Co-Sponsored By Two Democrats And One Republican. The bill is sponsored by Democrat Rep. Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA) and cosponsored by two Democratic representatives—Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD)— and Republican Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA). [Cosponsors – H.R. 202 – Inspector General Access Act of 2019, U.S. House of Representatives, 01/03/19]

The Senate Version Of The Bill Introduced Last Year Was Supported By Three Republicans: Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), And Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).

The Senate version of the bill introduced last year, S.3003 – Inspector General Access Act of 2018, was sponsored by Republican Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and co-sponsored by two Republicans, Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). No Democrats co-sponsored the bill. [Cosponsors – S.3003 – Inspector General Access Act of 2018, Congress.gov, 06/06/18]

The Miami Herald Editorial Board Endorsed A Previous Version Of The Legislation, H.R. 3154, The Inspector General Access Act Of 2017. 

The Miami Herald Editorial Board Argued That H.R. 3154, Introduced In The Previous Congress, Would “Give [Department Of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz] The Authority To Investigate All DOJ Attorneys Accused Of Alleged Wrongdoing While They Are Litigating, Investigating Or Providing Legal Advice.” “Why is this pending bill so critical? Currently, the Office of the Inspector General is statutorily required to refer all allegations of attorney misconduct to the Office of Professional Responsibility — a flaw that allows federal attorneys to function without any independent oversight from the IG when they are accused of wrongdoing. Passage of the Access Act would give Horowitz the authority to investigate all DOJ attorneys accused of alleged wrongdoing while they are litigating, investigating or providing legal advice. The time has come for Congress to throw the spotlight on the kind of cozy and secret federal deals that Acosta was able to strike up for the rich and connected like Epstein.”[Miami Herald Editorial Board, “Senate should give Inspector General power to investigate Alex Acosta,”TC Palm, 01/04/19]

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