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After the nomination of [[Andrew Puzder]] to [[United States Secretary of Labor]] was [[Unsuccessful nominations to the Cabinet of the United States|withdrawn]], President [[Donald Trump]] announced in a [[news conference|press conference]] on February 16, 2017, that he would nominate Acosta to fill the position.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/02/16/president-donald-j-trump-nominates-r-alexander-acosta-be-secretary-labor|title=President Donald J. Trump Nominates R. Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of Labor|accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-set-announce-alexander-acosta-new-labor-secretary-pick-n721771|title=Trump announced Alexander Acosta as new Labor Secretary pick on Thursday|accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/us/politics/alexander-acosta-labor-secretary-trump.html|title=R. Alexander Acosta, Law School Dean, Is Trump’s New Pick for Labor|last=Baker|first=Peter|date=February 16, 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=February 16, 2017|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2017/02/16/a8ba8a48-f474-11e6-8d72-263470bf0401_story.html|title=In an erratic performance, President Trump shows his supporters who's boss|first=Philip|last=Rucker|website=Washington Post|accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/us/politics/trump-news-conference.html|title=‘I Inherited a Mess,’ Trump Says, Defending His Performance|accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref> Acosta was recommended by White House Counsel [[Don McGahn]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cook|first1=Nancy|title=Trump’s top lawyer faces a giant cleanup job |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/16/trump-mcgahn-white-house-cleanup-238410|publisher=Politico|date=May 16, 2017}}</ref>
After the nomination of [[Andrew Puzder]] to [[United States Secretary of Labor]] was [[Unsuccessful nominations to the Cabinet of the United States|withdrawn]], President [[Donald Trump]] announced in a [[news conference|press conference]] on February 16, 2017, that he would nominate Acosta to fill the position.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/02/16/president-donald-j-trump-nominates-r-alexander-acosta-be-secretary-labor|title=President Donald J. Trump Nominates R. Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of Labor|accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-set-announce-alexander-acosta-new-labor-secretary-pick-n721771|title=Trump announced Alexander Acosta as new Labor Secretary pick on Thursday|accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/us/politics/alexander-acosta-labor-secretary-trump.html|title=R. Alexander Acosta, Law School Dean, Is Trump’s New Pick for Labor|last=Baker|first=Peter|date=February 16, 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=February 16, 2017|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2017/02/16/a8ba8a48-f474-11e6-8d72-263470bf0401_story.html|title=In an erratic performance, President Trump shows his supporters who's boss|first=Philip|last=Rucker|website=Washington Post|accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/us/politics/trump-news-conference.html|title=‘I Inherited a Mess,’ Trump Says, Defending His Performance|accessdate=August 9, 2018}}</ref> Acosta was recommended by White House Counsel [[Don McGahn]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cook|first1=Nancy|title=Trump’s top lawyer faces a giant cleanup job |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/16/trump-mcgahn-white-house-cleanup-238410|publisher=Politico|date=May 16, 2017}}</ref>


On April 27, 2017, Acosta was confirmed by the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] by a 60–38 vote.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=115&session=1&vote=00116 |title=On the Nomination (Confirmation R. Alexander Acosta, of Florida, to be Secretary of Labor)|last=United States Senate}}</ref>
On April 27, 2017, Acosta was confirmed by the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] by a 60–38 vote. He got the votes of 8 Democrat Senators and all the Republican Senators except one (that one didn't vote at all).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=115&session=1&vote=00116 |title=On the Nomination (Confirmation R. Alexander Acosta, of Florida, to be Secretary of Labor)|last=United States Senate}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==

Revision as of 05:59, 10 December 2018

Alexander Acosta
27th United States Secretary of Labor
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 28, 2017
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyPatrick Pizzella
Preceded byTom Perez
Dean of the Florida International University College of Law
In office
July 1, 2009 – April 28, 2017
Preceded byLeonard Strickman
Succeeded byAntony Page
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida
In office
June 11, 2005 – June 5, 2009
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded byMarcos Jiménez
Succeeded byWifredo A. Ferrer
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division
In office
August 22, 2003 – June 11, 2005
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byBradley Schlozman (acting)
Succeeded byWan J. Kim
Member of the National Labor Relations Board
In office
December 17, 2002 – August 21, 2003
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byWilliam Cowen
Succeeded byRonald Meisburg
Personal details
Born
Rene Alexander Acosta

(1969-01-16) January 16, 1969 (age 55)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJan Williams
EducationHarvard University (BA, JD)

Rene Alexander Acosta (born January 16, 1969)[1] is an American attorney, academic, and politician who is the 27th and current United States Secretary of Labor.[2] On February 16, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Acosta to be United States Secretary of Labor. Acosta is the first, and as of December 2018 the only, Hispanic person to serve in Trump's cabinet.[3][4][5][6] A Republican, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the National Labor Relations Board and later served as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Florida. He is the former dean of Florida International University College of Law. In late 2018, a Miami Herald report on a controversial plea agreement with billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, that had been approved by Acosta while he was serving as US Attorney for Southern District of Florida, became a focus of Congressional concern and led to calls for an independent investigation and for Acosta's resignation from the Trump Administration.

Background

Acosta is the only son of Cuban immigrants.[7] He is a native of Miami, Florida, where he attended the Gulliver Schools. He received an A.B. degree in economics from Harvard College in 1990 and received a J.D. degree cum laude from Harvard Law School 1994.[8]

Following law school, Acosta served as a law clerk to Samuel Alito, then a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, from 1994 to 1995.[9] Acosta then worked at the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm Kirkland & Ellis, where he specialized in employment and labor issues.[10] While in Washington, Acosta taught classes on employment law, disability-based discrimination law, and civil rights law at the George Mason University School of Law.[11]

On December 31, 2013, Acosta became the new chairman of U.S. Century Bank,[12] the largest domestically owned Hispanic community bank in Florida and one of the 15 largest Hispanic community banks in the nation. He spearheaded the effort to establish the J.M. degree in banking compliance, BSA and anti-money-laundering at FIU Law. Acosta was a member of the Board of Trustees of Gulliver Schools, where he served a past term as board chairman.[13]

Executive branch

Acosta as Assistant Attorney General

Acosta served in four presidentially appointed, U.S. Senate-confirmed positions in the Bush administration. From December 2001 to December 2002, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division.[14] From December 2002 to August 2003, he was a member of the National Labor Relations Board for which he participated in or authored more than 125 opinions.[15]

Then, he became Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division on August 22, 2003.[16] While leading the division, he allowed Bradley Schlozman to make decisions on hiring.[17] A report by the Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility later found that Schlozman illegally used his authority to give preferential treatment to conservatives and made false statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Those findings were relayed to the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,[14] but he was not prosecuted.[17] While it put the primary responsibility on Schlozman, the report also concluded that Acosta "did not sufficiently supervise Schlozman" and that "in light of indications [he and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Sheldon Bradshaw] had about Schlozman's conduct and judgment, they failed to ensure that Schlozman's hiring and personnel decisions were based on proper considerations."[14][17]ca

In 2005, Acosta was appointed United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida[14]

U.S. Attorney for Southern District of Florida

Acosta during his tenure as U.S. Attorney

In 2005, Acosta began serving as U.S. Attorney for Southern District of Florida, where his office prosecuted the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the terrorism suspect José Padilla, the founders of the Cali Cartel, and Charles McArther Emmanuel, the son of Liberia’s former leader.[18]

The District also targeted white collar crime, prosecuting several bank-related cases, including one against Swiss bank UBS. The case resulted in UBS paying $780 million in fines, and for the first time in history, the bank provided the United States with the names of individuals who were using secret Swiss bank accounts to avoid U.S. taxes.[19]

Other notable cases during his tenure include the corruption prosecution of Palm Beach County Commission Chairman Tony Masilotti, Palm Beach County Commissioner Warren Newell, Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty,[20] and Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne; the conviction of Cali Cartel founders Miguel and Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, for the importation of 200,000 kilos of cocaine, which resulted in a $2.1 billion forfeiture; and the white-collar crime prosecutions of executives connected to Hamilton Bank.[21]

Acosta also emphasized health-care fraud prosecutions. Under Acosta’s leadership the District prosecuted more than 700 individuals, responsible for a total of more than $2 billion in Medicare fraud.[22]

While serving as the U.S. attorney for Southern Florida, Acosta negotiated a controversial plea agreement (Jeffrey Epstein case), which became a focus of Congressional concern in late 2018, as Acosta's name was being circulated as a possible successor to Trump Administration Attorney General, Jeff Sessions. In November 2018, the Miami Herald published a detailed report critical of Acosta's work on the Epstein case [23] , summarized here: In 2007, Acosta, as Miami’s top federal prosecutor, met with a former colleague from the Washington, D.C., law firm of Kirkland & Ellis. The former colleague, Jay Lefkowitz, wanted to talk about Lefkowitz’s client Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein, a multimillionaire hedge fund manager with many influential friends, had been hit with a 53-page federal indictment accusing him of sex trafficking. He was said to have recruited minor girls from Palm Beach County middle schools and high schools for sexual activities at his Florida mansion. At the meeting with Lefkowitz, Acosta agreed to a non-prosecution agreement under which Epstein, along with four co-conspirators and any unnamed “potential co-conspirators”, were granted immunity from all federal criminal charges. Epstein agreed to plead guilty to two state prostitution charges, register as a sex offender, and pay restitution to three dozen victims identified by the FBI. He was sentenced to 18 months’ incarceration and served 13 months, followed by a year of probation. His sentence was served in a private wing of the Palm Beach County jail, with work release to his office allowed for up to 12 hours a day six days a week. While on probation he was allowed numerous trips on his corporate jet to his homes in Manhattan and the U.S. Virgin Islands.[24] The immunity agreement and his lenient treatment were the subject of ongoing controversy, with the Miami Herald saying Acosta gave Epstein "the deal of a lifetime". [25]

Subsequent to the agreement, additional information came to light indicating that Epstein's activities may have been significantly more extensive -- perhaps affecting hundreds of minors, believed to have been recruited from the US and overseas to attend sex parties at Epstein homes in Florida, New York, New Mexico, and the US Virgin Islands, and aboard his private jet (nicknamed "The Lolita Express") -- it is alleged that girls as young as 13 were expected to perform sexual favors for Epstein and his guests. However, the plea agreement effectively shut down the federal investigation. The deal was kept secret until after it was finalized, which some victims believe to have been in violation of a federal law that requires notifying victims of any potential plea agreement.[25] (The US Attorney's office denies that it acted in violation of victims' rights laws). The case was scheduled to be examined in court for the first time in December 2018 as part of a civil lawsuit against Epstein. However, the case was settled on the first day of the trial, with Epstein apologizing to attorney Bradley Edwards; other terms of the settlement were confidential.[26] There is another lawsuit pending in federal court, aimed at vacating the plea agreement on the grounds that it violated victims' rights.[26]

Acosta's own account of his office's role in the Epstein case was published here in 2011: https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epstein-how-the-hedge-fund-mogul-pedophile-got-off-easy It was also covered in his Senate testimony for confirmation as Trump Administration Secretary of Labor: https://www.c-span.org/video/?425697-1/labor-secretary-nominee-outlines-policy-priorities-confirmation-hearing

Dean of the Florida International University College of Law

On July 1, 2009, Acosta became the second dean of Florida International University College of Law. During Acosta's tenure, FIU Law has risen to #100 in the U.S. News and World Report Rankings, improved its student to faculty ratio from 16.2 to 1, to 12.8 to 1, and reduced its class size by 40%.[27]

Secretary of Labor

Acosta being sworn in as the Secretary of Labor by Vice President Mike Pence, on April 28, 2017

After the nomination of Andrew Puzder to United States Secretary of Labor was withdrawn, President Donald Trump announced in a press conference on February 16, 2017, that he would nominate Acosta to fill the position.[28][29][30][31][32] Acosta was recommended by White House Counsel Don McGahn.[33]

On April 27, 2017, Acosta was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a 60–38 vote. He got the votes of 8 Democrat Senators and all the Republican Senators except one (that one didn't vote at all).[34]

Personal life

Acosta is married to Jan Williams. He is of no relation to CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta.

Awards and recognition

Acosta has twice been named one of the nation's 50 most influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business Magazine. He serves on the Florida Innocence Commission,[35] on the Florida Supreme Court's Commission on Professionalism,[36] and on the Commission for Hispanic Rights and Responsibilities.[37]

References

  1. ^ Weaver, Jay; Yanez, Luisa (May 28, 2009). "U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta to lead FIU's law school". The Miami Herald.
  2. ^ "U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta to head FIU law school". Miami Herald. May 27, 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  3. ^ "Trump to name Alexander Acosta as labor secretary nominee". Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  4. ^ CNN, John King, Manu Raju and Dan Merica. "Trump to announce Alexander Acosta as labor secretary pick". Retrieved February 16, 2017. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Trump to name Alexander Acosta as new Labor secretary nominee". Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  6. ^ News, A. B. C. (March 3, 2017). "A look at Trump's Cabinet picks". ABC News. Retrieved August 25, 2017. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ "Trump's labor pick is FIU law dean and a former Miami U.S. attorney". Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  8. ^ "Alexander Acosta '94 nominated to be labor secretary". Harvard Law Today. February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  9. ^ Adams, T. Becket (February 16, 2017). "6 things to know about Alexander Acosta, Trump's new pick for labor secretary". Washington Examiner. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  10. ^ King, John; Raju, Manu; Merica, Dan (February 16, 2017). "Trump names first Hispanic Cabinet pick". CNN. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  11. ^ Smith, Nancy (February 16, 2017). "FIU Law School Dean, Alexander Acosta, Trump's Secretary of Labor Pick". Sunshine State News. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  12. ^ "Former U.S. Attorney becomes chairman of U.S. Century Bank". By Brian Bandell of South Florida Business Journal. December 12, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  13. ^ "Our Leadership". Gulliver School. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  14. ^ a b c d Office of the Inspector General; Office of Professional Responsibility (January 13, 2009). An Investigation of Allegations of Politicized Hiring and Other Improper Personnel Actions in the Civil Rights Division (PDF) (Report). Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  15. ^ Morrow, Brendan. "R. Alexander Acosta: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".
  16. ^ Vitali, Ali; Alexander, Peter (February 16, 2017). "Trump Announces Alexander Acosta as New Labor Secretary Pick". NBC News. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  17. ^ a b c Serwer, Adam. "The Scandal That May Haunt the New Nominee for Labor Secretary". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  18. ^ Rappeport, Alan (February 16, 2017). "R. Alexander Acosta, Law School Dean, Is Trump's New Pick for Labor". New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  19. ^ Graham, David (February 16, 2017). "Trump's New Pick for Secretary of Labor: Alexander Acosta". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  20. ^ "Mary McCarty's Fall From Grace". FloridaTrend. FloridaTrend. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  21. ^ Wilkie, Dana (February 16, 2017). "Alexander Acosta Is Trump's New Pick for Labor Secretary". Society for Human Resource Management. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  22. ^ "The Issue: Health Care Fraud Costly". Sun Sentinel. May 24, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  23. ^ "How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime". Miami Herald. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  24. ^ Brown, Julie K. (November 28, 2018). "Even from jail, sex abuser manipulated the system. His victims were kept in the dark". Miami Herald. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  25. ^ a b Brown, Julie (November 28, 2018). "How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime". Miami Herald. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  26. ^ a b Flores, Rosa; McLaughlin, Eliott C. (December 4, 2018). "Millionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein apologizes in settling malicious prosecution suit". CNN. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  27. ^ "FIU Law Dean Acosta nominated for U.S. labor secretary post". Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  28. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Nominates R. Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of Labor". Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  29. ^ "Trump announced Alexander Acosta as new Labor Secretary pick on Thursday". Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  30. ^ Baker, Peter (February 16, 2017). "R. Alexander Acosta, Law School Dean, Is Trump's New Pick for Labor". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  31. ^ Rucker, Philip. "In an erratic performance, President Trump shows his supporters who's boss". Washington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  32. ^ "'I Inherited a Mess,' Trump Says, Defending His Performance". Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  33. ^ Cook, Nancy (May 16, 2017). "Trump's top lawyer faces a giant cleanup job". Politico.
  34. ^ United States Senate. "On the Nomination (Confirmation R. Alexander Acosta, of Florida, to be Secretary of Labor)".
  35. ^ "Publications". August 5, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  36. ^ "Who is Labor secretary pick Alexander Acosta?". February 16, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  37. ^ "Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights & Responsibilities". www.americanbar.org. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alexander Acosta.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Alexander Acosta.
This article includes text from the United States Department of Justice, which is public domain as a work of the United States federal government.
Legal offices
Preceded by United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division
2003–2005 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Marcos Jiménez
 United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida
2005–2009 		Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by Dean of Florida International University College of Law
2009–2017 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
William B. Cowen
 Member of the National Labor Relations Board
2002–2003 		Succeeded by
Ronald E. Meisburg
Preceded by United States Secretary of Labor
2017–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Secretary of Commerce Order of Precedence of the United States
as Secretary of Labor 		Succeeded byas Secretary of Health and Human Services
U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded byas Secretary of Commerce 11th in line
as Secretary of Labor 		Succeeded byas Secretary of Health and Human Services
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