House Dem slammed for ‘sick’ defense of colleague caught texting Epstein during 2019 hearing
In a recent and controversial exchange on the House floor, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) faced backlash after defending his colleague, Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.), who was caught texting convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 House hearing. The incident occurred while former Trump attorney Michael Cohen was testifying, raising questions about Plaskett’s judgment and her ties to Epstein. Raskin argued that Plaskett was merely “taking a phone call from her constituent,” suggesting that there was no wrongdoing in her actions. This defense, however, was met with ridicule from Republicans and critics alike, who labeled Raskin’s comments as “dishonest” and “sick.”
The situation escalated when Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) introduced a resolution to censure Plaskett, claiming her communication with Epstein reflected poorly on the House of Representatives. Raskin, in his defense, questioned whether simply being in contact with a constituent, regardless of their background, warranted censure or removal from committee assignments. He emphasized the importance of due process and the presumption of innocence, stating, “Are we saying just because they were on a phone call, they’re guilty of something?” Despite Raskin’s impassioned defense, the White House’s Rapid Response team swiftly condemned his remarks, sharing clips of his statements and labeling them as “sick.”
As the debate unfolded, independent journalist Lee Fang highlighted the deeper connections between Plaskett and Epstein, asserting that her ties went beyond those of a typical constituent. Fang noted that Plaskett had previously worked with Epstein and received campaign support from him, casting doubt on her claims of ignorance regarding his legal troubles. Plaskett defended herself by stating that at the time of the texting incident, there was no public knowledge of Epstein being under federal investigation. However, her explanations did little to quell the criticism, which included comments from conservative commentators questioning the validity of Raskin’s defense. Ultimately, the resolution to censure Plaskett failed in a House vote, but the incident has sparked ongoing debates about ethics, accountability, and the implications of political connections in Congress.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iefNmNwiYUo
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., was ridiculed as “dishonest” and “sick” after arguing from the House floor that his former law school student and colleague was only “taking a phone call from her constituent” when she was texting disgraced financier
Jeffrey Epstein
during a 2019 House hearing.
Republicans on Tuesday, led by Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., introduced a resolution to censure Plaskett for “inappropriate coordination with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein,” which it says “reflects discreditably on the House of Representatives.”Â
Plaskett was caught texting Epstein, whose primary residence was in the U.S. Virgin Islands, during a 2019 hearing when former Trump attorney Michael Cohen was testifying about his work with the president amid an ongoing probe into Trump’s business dealings and matters tied to the 2016 election.Â
“They want to give them another headline! Which is, that they’ve arraigned a Democratic member for taking a phone call from her constituent, Jeffrey Epstein, in the middle of a hearing. And, of course, I don’t think there are any rules here against taking phone calls in a hearing,” Raskin exclaimed on the House floor Tuesday afternoon amid Congress’s efforts to pass a bill aimed at censuring Plaskett.
DEMOCRAT FOUND TEXTING JEFFREY EPSTEIN FACES HOUSE CENSURE, COMMITTEE REMOVAL THREATS
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“Are we saying just because they were on a phone call, they’re guilty of something? We should strip them of their committee assignments. We should censure them. Have we gotten to that point? I mean, come on,” he continued. “Look, this is the House of Representatives. The United States of America. Let’s stick by the Constitution. Let’s stick by due process.”
The White House’s Rapid Response team quickly shot back at Raskin on social media, posting a clip of his remarks that they described as “sick.” Raskin’s defense, while novel, was not alone, however. Several Democrats spoke from the House floor in defense of the congressional delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands on Tuesday, railing against Democrats for “besmirch[ing]” their colleague. Â
“Jamie Raskin — one of the worst to ever disgrace the halls of Congress — says Stacey Plaskett was just ‘taking a phone call from her constituent’ when she colluded with a convicted sex offender during a committee hearing,” the White House Rapid Response team said in response. “These people are SICK!”
Meanwhile, independent journalist Lee Fang, who was formerly with The Intercept, called Raskin’s comments “incredibly dishonest,” noting that court filings revealed Plaskett had much closer ties to Epstein than the average constituent. Â Â
“Just incredibly dishonest. Plaskett helped Epstein while serving in the Virgin Islands gov w/
tax credits,
went on to work directly for Epstein’s fixer, then received lavish campaign support from Epstein and his aides to clinch her election victory,” Fang said in response to Raskin’s comments.Â
EPSTEIN REFERENCED TRUMP IN PRIVATE EMAILS TO GHISLAINE MAXWELL AND OTHERS, NEW RECORDS SHOW
Fang previously reported in 2023 that Plaskett, despite attempting to distance herself from the disgraced financier and claiming she had no knowledge of campaign donations made to her from Epstein, that was not the case.Â
“Plaskett not only repeatedly sought financial contributions from Epstein and had multiple face-to-face encounters with him, but she also worked directly for a St. Thomas-based law firm that played a role in cultivating influence for Epstein’s clandestine activities,” Fang wrote at the time.
He also added that Plaskett’s involvement with Epstein could potentially even go further back because she previously served as an attorney on the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority that granted Epstein hundreds of millions in alleged “improperly obtained tax exemptions over the course of two decades.”
“The spin is outrageous,” conservative influencer
CJ Pearson
said of Raskin’s defense.Â
“You can’t make this up!” quipped Eric Daugherty, assistant news director at Florida’s Voice News.
“Let the person that hasn’t colluded with a convicted sex offender to rig the questions in a hearing cast the first stone,” Red State writer Bonchie wrote on X.
“Why is Raskin trying to downplay his colleague chatting with a convicted sex offender? Is it because he knows his colleague Hakeem also wanted dinner with Epstein? Or is it because he’s worried about what else will be revealed about Dems…?” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson posted on X.
Conservative journalist, filmmaker and podcaster Mel K highlighted the fact Raskin was Plaskett’s professor at American University’s law school in her response to Raskin’s House floor comments, which questioned if the Maryland Democrat was “for real.”
Plaskett, defended by Raskin and others on the House floor, also stood up and defended herself, arguing there was no “public knowledge at that time” that Epstein was under federal investigation despiteÂ
“I began to get innumerable texts from friends, from foes, from constituents about what was happening in that hearing. And I got a text from Jeffrey Epstein, who, at the time, was my constituent, who there was not public knowledge at that time that he was under federal investigation,” Plaskett said Tuesday after news of her hearing texts went viral.
“I heard recently from someone that I was taking advice from him,” Plaskett added in her defense from the House floor Tuesday. “Let me tell you something. I don’t need to get advice on how to question anybody from any individual. I have been a lawyer for 30 years.”
The resolution to censure Plaskett and strip her of her duties
failed Tuesday night
in a House vote.
