House Rejects Effort to Censure Delegate Plaskett, Remove Her from Intelligence Committee in 214-209 Vote

The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted 214-209 to reject a Republican-led resolution to censure Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) and remove her from the House Intelligence Committee. This decision followed revelations that Plaskett exchanged text messages with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing, prompting accusations of inappropriate coordination. The vote, largely along party lines, underscores ongoing partisan tensions surrounding the handling of Epstein-related disclosures.

The controversy stems from thousands of documents released by the House Oversight Committee, which included copies of text messages between Plaskett and Epstein. These exchanges occurred just before Plaskett was scheduled to question Michael Cohen, a former associate of Donald Trump, during a 2019 hearing. Republicans alleged that Epstein provided Plaskett with suggested questions, some of which she subsequently posed during the testimony.

Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC), who led the censure effort, accused Plaskett of "coordinating" her questioning with Epstein and being "actively coached" by him. Norman's resolution stated that Plaskett's "willingness to receive instructions on official congressional proceedings from Epstein... raises serious questions about Delegate Plaskett’s judgement, integrity, and fitness to serve." The resolution also sought her removal from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

In her defense, Delegate Plaskett acknowledged texting Epstein, noting he was a constituent at the time as a Virgin Islands resident. She forcefully rejected any wrongdoing, stating that it was "not public knowledge at that time that he was under federal investigation" and that he was merely "sharing information with me." Plaskett, a former prosecutor, maintained, "I don’t need to get advice on how to question anybody from any individual."

Democrats largely defended Plaskett, arguing the messages were unsolicited and that there was no indication her questions were influenced by Epstein. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) characterized the censure attempt as "one more pathetic effort to distract and divert attention" from calls for full disclosure of Epstein-related investigative documents. The final vote saw three Republicans join Democrats in opposing the censure, while three others voted "present."