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From: USANYS Contractor]" < To: Cc: ' (USANYS)" Subject: Gail Collins on Epstein, Acosta and "everything that happens in this country winds up in the hands of New York prosecutors" Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2019 19:56:38 +0000 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/opinion/acosta-epstein.html?searchResultPosition=17 Trump Doesn't Know About Labor Thank God we've got so many inept cabinet members. By Gail Collins July 10, 2019 So, did you enjoy the parade for the U.S. women's soccer team? People sure did seem happy. I believe this is partly because the players are terrific and partly because many Americans are desperate to think about something other than Donald Trump. And, good Lord, his crack team of cabinet members. On Wednesday, Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta tried to hold back the outrage that's been building since people learned that, as a federal prosecutor in South Florida, he had brokered a very lenient punishment for Jeffrey Epstein, a rich guy who liked to have sex with underage girls. Explanation: It was a good deal. You know how this administration feels about good deals. "The Palm Beach state attorney's office was ready to let Epstein walk free," Acosta said in his calm, sort of toneless voice. "Our prosecutors ... presented the ultimatum." Which was that Epstein, who had molested a parade of teenagers, some only 14, had to serve at least a little jail time. The punishment Acosta wrangled with his alleged best possible efforts involved 13 months in pri