Jul 9, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Trump defends Acosta but says he'll look into Epstein plea deal

US President Donald Trump speaks alongside Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta (R) during the National Teacher of the Year reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, May 2, 2018.

President Trump speaks alongside Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump defended Labor Secretary Alex Acosta Tuesday but said he'd look "very carefully" into his handling of a 2008 plea deal with accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Why it matters: The wealthy financier now faces sex trafficking charges in New York. Democrats including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are demanding Acosta resign over the lenient deal reached in Epstein's earlier case, when he was serving as U.S. attorney in southern Florida.

Go deeper: Acosta defends plea deal for Epstein

Go deeper