They suggested that Mr. Acosta was not completely forthcoming when he played down his role in the Epstein negotiations during his March 2017 confirmation hearings. “What makes me maddest is that the plea deal Acosta agreed to was about prostitution,” said Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who grilled Mr. Acosta on the Epstein case during his confirmation hearings. On Friday the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said the administration was “looking into” Mr. Acosta’s role in securing the plea deal. Mr. Acosta may not find the loyalty in conservative ranks that other troubled cabinet secretaries have found. Among lobbyists and employment lawyers representing business, there has been frustration with the speed at which Mr. Acosta has moved to tilt employment policy in a more business-friendly direction.

Source: New York Times February 26, 2019 01:20 UTC