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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
(about 3 hours 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. Mr. Acosta would be the only Hispanic in Mr. Trump’s cabinet. WASHINGTON — Moving quickly after his first choice for labor secretary withdrew his nomination amid controversy, President Trump made a seemingly safe selection on Thursday in R. Alexander Acosta, a Florida law school dean and former assistant attorney general.
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. In Mr. Acosta, Mr. Trump has chosen a nominee with deep experience in labor relations, law and education. The pick answers concerns about the lack of diversity in the Trump administration, in that Mr. Acosta would be the first Hispanic in the president’s cabinet. And his chances of being confirmed appear relatively high, since Mr. Acosta, currently the dean of Florida International University’s law school, has made it through the Senate process three times for different roles.
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. “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 confirm Mr. Acosta swiftly.
“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. A Miami native, Mr. Acosta’s most relevant experience to the job of labor secretary is his time at the National Labor Relations Board, where he was a member from 2002 to 2003, under President George W. Bush. Mr. Bush later tapped Mr. Acosta to be assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil rights division, one of the highest positions at the agency.
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. 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 achieved the conviction of Charles Taylor Jr., the son of Liberia’s former leader, for torture. His official biography said his office also prosecuted several bank-related cases and targeted health care fraud.
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. Mr. Acosta’s record and writings will undergo close scrutiny in the weeks before his confirmation hearing. But some of the most outspoken skeptics of the previous labor nominee, the fast-food executive Andrew F. Puzder, have already expressed optimism and open-mindedness about Mr. Acosta.
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. “I am thrilled that at long last, we have a Hispanic in this cabinet,” said Javier Palomarez, president of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who was critical of Mr. Trump during the presidential campaign.
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. Labor groups that assailed Mr. Puzder as being anti-worker applauded the choice of Mr. Acosta.
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. “Unlike Andy Puzder, Alexander Acosta’s nomination deserves serious consideration,” said Richard L. Trumka, president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. trade union. “In one day, we’ve gone from a fast-food chain C.E.O. who routinely violates labor law to a public servant with experience enforcing it.”
The initial response from some of the most outspoken opponents of Mr. Puzder was also mostly positive. Mr. Puzder withdrew his name from consideration on Wednesday after Republican senators began turning against him. They were concerned about a slew of accusations that had surfaced recently, ranging from Mr. Puzder’s business record to his employment of an undocumented housekeeper to his 1988 divorce.
“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.” If confirmed, Mr. Acosta could also help smooth the relationship between Mr. Trump and American Muslims who have accused him of fomenting religious discrimination. Testifying before Congress in 2011 at a hearing about the civil rights of American Muslims, Mr. Acosta made a forceful appeal that they should be viewed as any other American community would. “Now is a good time to remember that no community has a monopoly on any particular type of crime,” he said.
Despite the early praise Mr. Acosta has received, it is far from certain that his confirmation will be easy. Progressive groups, such as the Democratic “super PAC” American Bridge, were busy on Thursday digging through his background and looking for stains on his record. One area of potential concern is a 2008 investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general, which looked into whether hiring practices and case assignments at the civil rights division he led were based on political affiliations. A report on the case found that Mr. Acosta had ignored warning signs about such problems.
Another pitfall could be a 2004 letter to a federal judge in Ohio that Mr. Acosta sent while he was at the Justice Department, justifying “vote caging” in the presidential election. The practice, in which private citizens in Ohio challenged the eligibility of African-American voters, was widely seen as a Republican strategy to disenfranchise minorities.
Both issues came up when Mr. Acosta was interviewing to become dean of the University of Florida’s law school in 2014. Michelle Jacobs, a professor at the school, said that she and her colleagues were uncomfortable with how Mr. Acosta explained the vote-caging case. She also said Mr. Acosta had described paying lip service to lawmakers when called to testify before Congress.
“I feel that he lacked some transparency, and he didn’t show a full appreciation for ethical obligations,” Ms. Jacobs said. “We felt it deeply enough that we eliminated him from the list of candidates.”
But colleagues of Mr. Acosta’s at Florida International University said he was widely liked as a leader of the law school, striking a healthy balance of being detail-oriented without micromanaging. A father of two daughters and a lover of science fiction, Mr. Acosta is known within his department for being humble and genial.
“I was actually stunned that Donald Trump would make such a sensible choice,” said José Gabilondo, an F.I.U. law professor who has worked closely with Mr. Acosta. “He’s a very mature person with a sense of decorum, and I think he’ll make a very big contribution to the administration.”