Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta on Wednesday defended his handling of a sex-trafficking case involving financier Jeffrey Epstein, as Democrats' calls for him to resign intensified. Acosta was a federal prosecutor in south Florida and is being criticized for his part in a 2008 plea deal that let Epstein avoid federal prosecution. Speaking to reporters, Acosta said his office's involvement ensured Epstein did not get away. "The Palm Beach state attorney's office was willing to let Epstein walk free, no jail time, nothing," Acosta said. Now jailed, Epstein pleaded not guilty on Monday to new child-sex-trafficking charges alleging he abused underage girls in the early 2000s.