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R. Alexander Acosta, Law School Dean, Is Trump’s New Pick for Labor
R. Alexander Acosta, Law School Dean, Is Trump’s New Pick for Labor
(35 minutes later)
WASHINGTON — President Trump moved quickly on Thursday to replace his first choice for labor secretary, choosing R. Alexander Acosta, a Florida law school dean and former assistant attorney general for civil rights, to become the only Hispanic in his cabinet.
WASHINGTON — President Trump moved quickly on Thursday to replace his first choice for labor secretary, choosing R. Alexander Acosta, a Florida law school dean and former assistant attorney general for civil rights. Mr. Acosta would be the only Hispanic in Mr. Trump’s cabinet.
But the president dispensed with the selection in just a few sentences. “I think he’s going to be a tremendous secretary of labor,” Mr. Trump said, addressing reporters in the East Room of the White House.
Andrew F. Puzder, a lawyer and fast-food exective, withdrew from consideration for the cabinet post on Wednesday in the face of opposition from Democrats, union groups and liberals as well as some Republicans over his business record and character questions.
Instead, he took the opportunity to defend his young administration and accuse the news media of distorting his actions.
In Mr. Acosta, Mr. Trump chose a nominee with deep experience in labor relations, law and education. He addressed concerns about the lack of diversity in his administration. And he tapped someone whose chances of being confirmed appear to be relatively high, because Mr. Acosta has made it through the process three times before for different roles.
In a rambling set of remarks, at times reading from notes, at others seemingly improvising, Mr. Trump reviewed some of his initiatives, boasted again about his election in November, took credit for companies that are adding jobs, lashed out at Democrats in Congress who have slowed his nominations and criticized judges who blocked his partial travel ban.
“Alex is going to be a key part of achieving our goal of revitalizing the American economy, manufacturing, and labor force,” Mr. Trump said as he called on the Senate to swiftly confirm him.
In his first explanation of his decision to force out Michael T. Flynn, his national security adviser, on Monday, Mr. Trump said he was not troubled that Mr. Flynn had spoken with Russia’s ambassador in December, when the subject of sanctions against Russia was discussed.
A Miami native, Mr. Acosta earned undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University and was a clerk for Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. when he was still an appeals court judge. Mr. Acosta’s most relevant experience to the job of labor secretary was his time as a member of the National Labor Relations Board from 2002 to 2003 during the administration of former President George. W. Bush. When his tenure there ended, Mr. Acosta was tapped by Mr. Bush to head the Justice Department’s civil rights division.
“When I looked at the information, I said I don’t think he did anything wrong,” Mr. Trump said. “In fact, I think he did something right.”
He went on to become the United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida, where his office prosecuted the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the terrorism suspect Jose Padilla and founders of the Cali cartel. He convicted Charles Taylor Jr., the son of Liberia’s former leader, of torture. His official biography said his office also prosecuted several bank-related cases and targeted health care fraud.
The problem, he said, was that Mr. Flynn told Vice President Mike Pence that sanctions did not come up during the conversation, an assertion belied by a transcript of the call, which was monitored by American intelligence agencies.
“The thing is he didn’t tell our vice president properly and then he said he didn’t remember,” Mr. Trump said. “So either way, it wasn’t very satisfactory to me.”
But reports about contacts between his circle and Russia were “fake news put out by the media,” he said. He said he had called on the Justice Department to investigate leaks regarding Mr. Flynn and other matters.
With so many crises in the first four weeks of his presidency, Mr. Trump disputed impressions that his administration was out of control.
“To be honest, I inherited a mess, a mess, at home and abroad, a mess,” he said. “Jobs are pouring out of the country. See what’s going on with all of the companies leaving the country, going to Mexico and other places.” Overseas, he said he found “disaster.”
“We’re going to take care of it all,” he said. “I just want you to know I inherited a mess.”
He said he would sign a new executive order next week or perhaps later that will “comprehensively protect our country” while still defending his original travel ban in court. Last week he had said he would take action as early as Monday of this week.
“There has never been a presidency that has done so much in such a short period of time,” Mr. Trump said. “And we haven’t even started the big work that starts early next week.” He added, “We’re just getting started.”
His expansive review of his accomplishments, though, included some misinformation.
He asserted that his victory in the Electoral College was the largest since Ronald Reagan. But he won fewer Electoral College votes than three of the four presidents since Reagan: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George Bush.
When a reporter pointed that out, Mr. Trump brushed it off. “I was given that information,” he said.
In picking Mr. Acosta, the dean of Florida International University’s law school in Miami, as his labor secretary, Mr. Trump addresses criticism that his cabinet was the first in many years without any Hispanics.
Mr. Trump announced the nomination at the White House just a day after Andrew F. Puzder, a fast-food executive, dropped his bid to lead the Labor Department amid attacks on his business record and personal conduct that were eroding support among Republican senators and imperiling his confirmation.
The collapse of Mr. Puzder’s nomination was the latest blow for a president who demanded the resignation of his national security adviser earlier in the week. In naming a new labor nominee right away, Mr. Trump and his team hoped to put the sting of Mr. Puzder’s failure behind them and regain momentum with many of the president’s nominations still at stake.
The collapse of Mr. Puzder’s nomination was the latest blow for a president who demanded the resignation of his national security adviser earlier in the week. In naming a new labor nominee right away, Mr. Trump and his team hoped to put the sting of Mr. Puzder’s failure behind them and regain momentum with many of the president’s nominations still at stake.
Mr. Acosta was not on hand for the announcement.
Mr. Acosta was not on hand for the announcement in the East Room of the White House, and the president dispensed with the nomination in just a few sentences at a rambling news conference. “I think he’s going to be a tremendous secretary of labor,” Mr. Trump said.
The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hailed the choice. “We are thrilled to work with Acosta on a host of economic and labor issues which directly affect our members and the Hispanic community as a whole,” said Javier Palomarez, the chamber’s president.
The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hailed the choice. “We are thrilled to work with Acosta on a host of economic and labor issues which directly affect our members and the Hispanic community as a whole,” said Javier Palomarez, the chamber’s president.
A Miami native, Mr. Acosta earned undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University and was a clerk for Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. when he was still an appeals court judge. Mr. Acosta served on the National Labor Relations Board and was an assistant attorney general under President George W. Bush.
The initial response from some of the most outspoken opponents of Mr. Puzder was also mostly positive.
He went on to become the United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida, where his office prosecuted the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the terrorism suspect Jose Padilla and founders of the Cali cartel. He convicted Charles Taylor Jr., the son of Liberia’s former leader, of torture. His official biography said his office also prosecuted several bank-related cases and targeted health care fraud.
“Unlike Andy Puzder, Alexander Acosta’s nomination deserves serious consideration,” said Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO trade union. “In one day, we’ve gone from a fast-food chain CEO who routinely violates labor law to a public servant with experience enforcing it.”
