Labor secretary comes under fire for role in plea deal with financier accused of sexual trafficking involving underage girls.

Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta defended his handling of a case involving a financier accused of exploiting underage girls, in the face of calls from top Democrats that he resign since he oversaw the matter while he was a federal prosecutor.

On Twitter, Mr. Acosta said Tuesday: “With the evidence available more than a decade ago, federal prosecutors insisted that Epstein go to jail, register as a sex offender and put the world on notice that he was a sexual predator.” He said he supported the fresh effort by prosecutors to “more fully bring him to justice” based on new evidence and testimony. “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 wrote.

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