President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would be looking "very closely" at Labor Secretary Alex Acosta's handling of a sex trafficking case involving now-jailed billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein. But he also seemed to stand by his Cabinet official, praising Acosta's performance on the job and saying he felt "very badly" for him.
As for Epstein, Trump had said years ago that he knew the financier well, thought he was "a terrific guy" and "it is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."
On Tuesday, however, he distanced himself from the hedge-fund manager now charged with abusing minors, saying the two had had a falling-out 15 or so years ago. "I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you," Trump said.
His comments came as a parade of Democratic presidential contenders and party leaders demanded that Acosta, a former federal prosecutor in south Florida, resign or be fired over his role in a secret 2008 plea deal that let Epstein avoid federal prosecution after allegations he molested teenage girls.
Epstein pleaded not guilty on Monday to new child sex-trafficking charges . Federal prosecutors in New York accuse him of abusing dozens of underage girls in the early 2000s, paying them hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York. He could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump repeatedly praised Acosta, calling him a "really great secretary of labor" and "very good" at his job. He suggested it's not unusual to find past mistakes if you look hard enough.
"You know, if you go back and look at everybody else's decisions, whether it's a U.S. attorney, or an assistant U.S. attorney or a judge, if you go back 12 or 15 years ago or 20 years ago and look at their past decisions, I would think you would probably find that they would wish they'd maybe did it a different way," said Trump. His sympathetic words seemed to echo his statements of support for then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who had been accused of sexual misconduct as a young man.
"I feel very badly, actually, for Secretary Acosta because I've known him as being somebody that works so hard and has done such a good job," Trump said.
Still, he said his administration would be going back to look "very closely" at the circumstances of the deal that allowed Epstein to avoid prosecution on federal charges, plead guilty to lesser state charges and serve 13 months in jail, during which he was allowed to leave to go to his office during the day.
Former Trump Press Secretary Sarah Sanders had said in February that the White House was looking into Acosta's role in the settlement. The White House has not responded to repeated questions about whether there ever was such an investigation, and, if there was, what it found.
Acosta himself weighed in Tuesday on Twitter, ignoring the calls for his resignation and crediting the charges brought against Epstein in New York to new evidence that "offers an important opportunity to more fully bring him to justice."
"The crimes committed by Epstein are horrific, and I am pleased that NY prosecutors are moving forward with a case based on new evidence," he tweeted.
On Capitol Hill, a slew of Democrats called for Acosta's resignation, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"As US Attorney, he engaged in an unconscionable agreement w/ Jeffrey Epstein kept secret from courageous, young victims preventing them from seeking justice," she tweeted Monday night.
She told reporters Tuesday that it was "no surprise" Trump was standing by Acosta. "He knew about this when he nominated him for the Cabinet," she said. "It just goes to show."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump should explain his previous comments referring to Epstein as a "terrific guy."
"The president needs to answer for this, and 'I don't recall' is not an acceptable answer in this case," the New York Democrat said on the Senate floor.
Schumer said Acosta must quit and, if he won't, Trump should fire him.
Referring to Epstein, he said, "Instead of prosecuting a predator and serial sex trafficker of children, Acosta chose to let him off easy."
Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., confronted Acosta about the Epstein plea deal in an April congressional hearing and is renewing her call for the secretary to step down.
"What we're asking for is for the president and the White House to stop playing cover," Clark told NBC10 Boston's Alison King.
Trump told New York magazine in 2002 that he'd known Epstein for 15 years and said he was "a lot of fun to be with."
"It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it - Jeffrey enjoys his social life," Trump was quoted saying.
Trump Organization attorney Alan Garten has since distanced Trump from Epstein, telling Politico in 2017 that Trump "had no relationship with Mr. Epstein and had no knowledge whatsoever of his conduct."
Pressed on the nature of their relationship Tuesday, Trump said he'd known Epstein "like everybody in Palm Beach knew him," describing him as "a fixture" of the beachfront town where Trump spends many of his winter weekends at his private Mar-a-Lago club.
Trump went on to say that he'd had a falling-out with Epstein "a long time ago."
"I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn't a fan," Trump said.
The White House and Trump Organization did not immediately respond to questions about the nature of the falling-out.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said that, "Like everyone else," Trump sees the charges against Epstein as "completely unconscionable and obviously criminal. Disgusting."
Calling for Acosta's resignation were many members of the Democrats' huge field of presidential hopefuls. They include Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the charges against Epstein "horrendous" but said he was "inclined to defer to the president" on questions about Acosta's future.
