Thread by @maddow

Even if Alex Acosta were not a Trump cabinet official right now, this federal court ruling about his behavior in the Jeffrey Epstein case would/should put Acosta in headlines across the country.

documentcloud.org/documents/5745…

Julie K. Brown at the Miami Herald @jkbjournalist is the one who broke this open. Her story is the best one you'll see today summing up what has happened:

miamiherald.com/news/state/flo…

For the Epstein case itself, this is a breakthrough because for the first time, a court is confirming Epstein's serial abuse of multiple minor girls (a federal crime) in Florida, elsewhere in the US, and abroad.

That had not been established in court before in part because Acosta, as US Attorney, gave Epstein a non-prosecution agreement for all fed crimes - a deal that extended to all his potential accomplices. Acosta instead let Epstein plead on *prostitution* charges in state court.

(State prostitution charges, really? If you're a grown-ass man doing this to children, is it really the most important thing under the law to know whether or not you also gave the kids money?? Arrrrgh.) Forgive the aside.

The basis for the civil case that led to today's ruling was the Crime Victims' Rights Act, which should have *blocked* Acosta from doing this deal in secret with Epstein, without telling his potential victims.

Here, Julie Brown sums it up elegantly:

Today, as Brown sums it up, the judge ruled that, "while prosecutors had the right to resolve the case in any way they saw fit, they violated the law by hiding the agreement from Epstein’s victims."

And which prosecutors did that specifically? Was it someone just working below Alex Acosta that he might not have known about? Someone he just didn't adequately supervise on this case?

Uh, not according to the judge. Read this:

So, a federal judge just ruled that the current Labor Secretary gave a secret non-prosecution agreement to a prolific, serial child sex offender -- then broke the law by agreeing with the guy's defense team that they'd all keep it secret from the victims.

Did I mention that Alex Acosta is now a Trump cabinet official? Right now? Still?