Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta gave a defiant press release Wednesday in the face of growing calls for him to resign off of a plea deal he made in 2008 as U.S. Attorney in Florida, with accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Acosta defended his decision-making, saying that his intervention in the case actually helped to put Epstein behind bars — albeit for a short time — rather than letting him off the hook entirely. But questions still remain, as a Miami Herald investigation last year pointed to the significant amount of evidence that law enforcement had at the time regarding the severity of Epstein’s crimes.

Jim Braude was joined by Jennifer Braceras, a former classmate and close friend of Alex Acosta who is also an Independent Women’s Forum forum, and Scott Harshbarger, former Massachusetts Attorney General.