House Defeats Plaskett Censure Over Epstein Texts by 214-209 Vote

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries recently declined to elaborate on private conversations with Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) regarding reported text messages, stating, "She and I have talked and it's a private conversation that will remain private." This statement comes amidst a contentious period where a Republican-led effort to censure Plaskett over her communications with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing narrowly failed in the House of Representatives.

The controversy centers on documents released by the House Oversight Committee, which revealed text exchanges between Plaskett and Epstein during Michael Cohen's testimony in February 2019. The messages, initially reported by The Washington Post, suggested Epstein was watching the hearing and providing information that appeared to influence Plaskett's questioning, including alerting her to Cohen's mention of "Rona."

Plaskett, who represents the U.S. Virgin Islands as a non-voting delegate, defended the communications by stating Epstein was a constituent at the time. She emphasized that it was not public knowledge that he was under federal investigation, and she maintained her record of combating sexual assault and human trafficking. Her office confirmed the exchanges, asserting she received messages from various individuals, including Epstein, offering advice.

The Republican motion to censure Plaskett and remove her from the House Intelligence Committee failed on Tuesday with a vote of 209 in favor and 214 against. Three Republicans voted with all Democrats against the resolution, while three others voted "present," preventing the formal reprimand. The vote sparked immediate accusations of a "backroom deal" between party leaders.

Several Republicans, including Representatives Lauren Boebert and Kat Cammack, alleged that the failure to censure Plaskett was part of an agreement to protect a Republican facing unrelated ethics issues, Representative Cory Mills, from a planned Democratic censure. This alleged quid pro quo fueled internal party friction and raised questions about transparency and accountability within congressional leadership.