众议院周二以209-214-3的投票结果反对指责和谴责众议员斯泰西·普拉斯克特(Stacey Plaskett，D-V.I .)，并将她从众议院情报委员会(House Intelligence Committee)除名，原因是她与已故性侵犯者杰弗里·爱泼斯坦(Jeffrey Epstein)有短信往来。
最近公布的爱泼斯坦文件中的文件显示，她在2019年国会听证会期间与爱泼斯坦发短信。
在2019年2月27日的一次相应的国会听证会期间的实时文本对话中，议员们询问了唐纳德·特朗普总统的前律师和调解人迈克尔·科恩，爱泼斯坦美联储文件显示，来自美属维尔京群岛的无表决权代表Plaskett在她即将进行的一系列提问中提供了可能有用的信息。
在最近发布的爱泼斯坦唱片中，Plaskett的名字被修改了——但是周二晚上在众议院慷慨激昂地为自己辩护，反驳她的责难，普拉斯克特证实了他们的交流记录，同时试图重新构建其背景。
在周三接受CNN采访时，她为自己与爱泼斯坦发短信的决定进行了辩护。
“我相信杰弗里·爱泼斯坦掌握了信息，而我将通过获取信息来了解真相，”普拉斯克特告诉CNN。“我不会认为和他有友谊。我只是期待。我在前进。我认为这是我们作为美国人民应该做的，向前迈进。
在回答关于爱泼斯坦当时是一名已知的性犯罪者的问题时，普拉斯克特告诉CNN，“有很多人犯下了很多罪行，作为一名检察官，你可以从人们那里获得信息。”
普拉斯克特周二为与爱泼斯坦的交易进行了辩护。
她说她“开始从朋友、敌人、选民那里收到无数短信，询问听证会上发生了什么。我收到了杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的短信，他当时是我的选民，当时公众还不知道他正在接受联邦调查。和我分享信息的人。”
“我最近听某人说，我正在向他寻求建议。让我告诉你一些事情。我不需要得到如何向任何人提问的建议，”普拉斯克特继续说道。
但根据他们上周发布的文字交流记录，普拉斯克特是第一个联系到爱泼斯坦的人，甚至在听证会开始之前，他就已经是一名被判有罪的性犯罪者。
她似乎使用了他提供的一些信息。
记录显示普拉斯克特美国东部时间当天早上7:55给爱泼斯坦发短信说，“他会讲他的成绩。”
从他们的交流来看，爱泼斯坦似乎在现场观看听证会。他发短信了普拉斯克特当委员会在上午10点后召开会议时，“很棒的服装”，20分钟后，“你看起来很棒”，对此普拉斯克特回答说:“谢谢!”
“你在嚼吗?”爱泼斯坦在上午10点41分问道，“不再是了，”不到一分钟后得到的回应是，补充道，“咀嚼我的口腔内部。从中学开始的坏习惯。”
在听证会的录像中，普拉斯克特可以看到她断断续续地嚼着东西，低头看着她的桌子。
随着立法者质疑科恩，爱泼斯坦发表了他对特朗普组织及其关键人物的见解。
“他打开了关于特朗普组织中其他追随者是谁的问题之门，”爱泼斯坦在下午12点26分发送道，“是的。非常清楚并等待轮到我，”普拉斯克特回答道。
几个小时后，马上就要轮到普拉斯克特向科恩提问了。
“科恩提到了秘密的守护者罗娜，”爱泼斯坦在下午2点24分发短信说，他指的是前特朗普行政助理萝娜·格拉夫。普拉斯克特回答道，“罗娜??"不到一分钟后，“下一个轮到我了，这是首字母缩写吗?”
“那是他的助手，”爱泼斯坦回答，“罗娜”。一分钟后，爱泼斯坦再次发来短信:“‘她喊罗杰在1号线’确证者，”公布的文件显示。
不久之后，在对科恩的询问中，普拉斯克特确实问到了格拉夫。
“你向我来自纽约的同事康诺利先生提到了一些人，在你的证词中也提到了韦斯伯格先生和其他一些人，萝娜女士。这些人是谁?他们是特朗普组织的吗?”普拉斯克特在听证会上问科恩。
文件显示，下午2点34分，爱泼斯坦发短信说:“干得好”。
爱泼斯坦捐赠
甚至在决议谴责之前普拉斯克特周二，白宫已经抓住了她与爱泼斯坦的具体通信和他们的支持，调查民主党人与他的关系。
“为什么民主党人不谈论德尔的事实。史黛丝(女子名)普拉斯克特(美属维尔京群岛)在爱泼斯坦已经是一名被定罪的性犯罪者后，为DCCC向他索要(并得到)3万美元?"白宫新闻发布会的第一个要点是周一下午. "或者事实上普拉斯克特她自己为了自己的竞选接受了爱泼斯坦的巨额捐款?或者是美属维尔京群岛前民主党州长的妻子告诉爱泼斯坦，如果他进行上述捐赠，我们就会有一个斯泰西的朋友?或者事实上普拉斯克特在委员会听证会上给Epstein发短信。"
民主党国会竞选委员会的一名发言人在回应这些指控时表示，白宫正在运行不正确的数字，并提到2019年美国广播公司新闻报道爱泼斯坦在2018年向DCCC捐赠了1万美元，但党委几天后就“毫不犹豫地”退还了这笔捐款，而且这笔捐款是“主动提供的”
“他们的指控是错误的，”这位发言人周三表示。
普拉斯克特尚未对白宫的声明做出回应。
根据2023年一份证词的摘录，普拉斯克特说，她在2018年要求爱泼斯坦向民主党国会竞选委员会提供最大允许捐款，但她说她被告知该委员会不会接受，因为爱泼斯坦“没有通过他们的审查。”
在...期间根据2023年爱泼斯坦受害者对USVI几位现任和前任官员提起的诉讼的法庭记录，普拉斯克特的众议院投标中，一位希望保持匿名的支持者是爱泼斯坦，包括普拉斯克特。
“杰弗里，我们需要你的帮助，”时任美属维尔京群岛第一夫人的塞西尔·德容在电子邮件中请求普拉斯克特根据受害者律师提交的文件，2014年6月19日给爱泼斯坦的捐款。
她的请求中写道“我们会有一个叫斯泰西的朋友。”她还问爱泼斯坦如果他的任何朋友可能捐赠，他肯定。2014年10月24日，De Jongh给Epstein发了一封电子邮件，“你好，Jeffrey，我向你确认STC将为Stacey的利益向民主党捐赠1.3万美元普拉斯克特。"
普拉斯克特根据联邦选举委员会的文件，在2016年和2018年的周期中，从爱泼斯坦那里获得了8100美元。在爱泼斯坦于2019年被起诉后，她宣布将向维尔京群岛的妇女和儿童组织捐赠相同数额的资金，并呼吁维尔京群岛的其他当选官员退还爱泼斯坦的任何捐款。
普拉斯克特此前曾谴责爱泼斯坦的“应受谴责”的犯罪行为。针对针对她的指控，律师普拉斯克特根据法庭文件，她写道“当爱泼斯坦被捕的消息传出时，她与全国其他人同时得知了他的罪行”。
2025年早些时候，一名联邦法官驳回了受害者对普拉斯克特和其他官员。
House votes against censuring Rep. Plaskett over texting Epstein during congressional hearing
The House voted 209-214-3 on Tuesday against censuring and condemning Rep. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., and removing her from the House Intelligence Committee over texts with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Documents in the recent Epstein files release showed she was texting with Epstein while she was in the middle of a congressional hearing in 2019.
In a real-time text conversation during a consequential congressional hearing on Feb. 27, 2019, where lawmakers questioned President Donald Trump's former attorney and fixerMichael Cohen, Epstein fedPlaskett, the nonvoting delegate from the US Virgin Islands, information that might be useful during her upcoming line of questioning, the files showed.
In the recently released Epstein records,Plaskett's name is redacted -- but in impassioned self-defense on the House floor Tuesday night, arguing against her censure,Plaskett confirmed the record of their exchange, while attempting to reframe its context.
She defended her decision to text with Epstein in an interview with CNN on Wednesday.
"I believed that Jeffrey Epstein had information, and I was going to get information to get at the truth," Plaskett told CNN. "Having a friendship with him is not something that I would deem to have. I'm just looking forward. I'm moving forward. I think that's what we, as American people, should do, move forward.
In response to a question about Epstein being a known sex offender at the time, Plasket told CNN, "There are a lot of people who have done a lot of crimes, and as a prosecutor, you get information from people where you can."
Plaskettdefended the exchange with Epstein on Tuesday.
She said she "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 -- was not public knowledge at that time that he was under federal investigation. And who was sharing information with me."
"Now, I heard recently from someone that I was seeking advice from him. Let me tell you something. I don't need to get advice on how to question anybody from any individual," Plaskett continued.
But according to the transcript of their text exchange released last week,Plaskettwas the first to reach out to Epstein, who was then already a convicted sex offender, even before the hearing began.
She appeared to use some of the information he provided.
Records showPlasketttexted Epstein at 7:55 a.m. ET that day, saying,"He'll talk about his grades."
From their exchanges, it appeared Epstein was watching the hearing live. He textedPlaskettas the committee convened just after 10 a.m., "great outfit," and 20 minutes later, "you look great," to whichPlaskettreplied, "Thanks!"
"Are you chewing?" Epstein asked at 10:41 a.m. "Not anymore," was the response less than a minute later, adding, "Chewing interior of my mouth. Bad habit from middle school."
In footage from the hearing,Plaskettcan be seen intermittently chewing and looking down at her desk.
As lawmakers questioned Cohen, Epstein sent his insights about the Trump Organization and its key players.
"Hes opened the door to questions re who are the other henchmen at trump org," Epstein sent at 12:26 p.m. "Yup. Very aware and waiting my turn,"Plaskettreplied.
A couple of hours later,Plaskett's turn to question Cohen was drawing near.
"Cohen brought up RONA -- keeper of the secrets," Epstein texted at 2:24 p.m., referring to former Trump executive assistant Rhona Graff.Plaskettreplied, "RONA??" and less than a minute later, "quick I'm up next is that an acronym."
"Thats his assistant," Epstein replied, "Rona". A minute later, Epstein again texted: "'She called out rodger is on line 1' corroborater," the released files showed.
During her questioning of Cohen a short time later, Plaskett indeed asked about Graff.
"You have mentioned some individuals to my colleague from New York, Mr. Connolly, and also in your testimony about Mr. Weisselberg and other individuals, Ms. Rhona. Who are those individuals? Are they with The Trump Organization?" Plaskett asked Coehn during the hearing.
At 2:34 p.m., Epstein texted: "Good work," the files showed.
Epstein donations
Even before the resolution to censurePlaskettTuesday, the White House had already seized upon her specific correspondence with, and support from, Epstein in their call to investigate Democrats' involvement with him.
"Why aren't Democrats talking about the fact that Del. StaceyPlaskett(D-U.S. Virgin Islands) solicited (and was given) $30,000 from Epstein for the DCCC after he was already a convicted sex offender?" the first bullet of a White House press release said Monday afternoon. "Or the fact thatPlaskettherself accepted maxed out donations from Epstein for her own campaign? Or the fact that the wife of the former Democrat governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands told Epstein 'we would have a friend in Stacey' if he made said donations? Or the fact thatPlaskettwas literally texting Epstein during a committee hearing?"
Responding to the claims, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said the White House is running with incorrect numbers, and referred toABC News reporting from 2019that Epstein had given $10,000 to the DCCC in 2018, but the party committee returned the donation just days later "without second thought," and that the donation was "unsolicited."
"They're just wrong with those accusations," the spokesperson said Wednesday.
Plaskett has not responded to the White House's statement.
According to an excerpt of a 2023 deposition, Plaskett said she asked Epstein in 2018 for the maximum allowable donation to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, but said she was informed that the committee would not accept it because Epstein "had not passed their vetting."
DuringPlaskett's House bids, one booster who wished to remain anonymous was Epstein, according to court records in a lawsuit filed in 2023 by Epstein victims against several current and former officials in the USVI, includingPlaskett.
"Jeffrey, your help is needed," then-First Lady of the U.S. Virgin Islands Cecile de Jongh emailed in a request forPlaskettdonations to Epstein on June 19, 2014, according to documents submitted by attorneys for the victims.
Her request noted that "we would have a friend in Stacey." She also asked Epsteinif any of his friends might donate, which he affirmed. On Oct. 24, 2014, De Jongh emailed Epstein, "Hi Jeffrey, I am confirming with you that STC will send $13K to the Democratic Party for the benefit of StaceyPlaskett."
Plaskettreceived $8,100 from Epstein in the 2016 and 2018 cycles, according to FEC filings. After Epstein's indictment in 2019, she announced she would be donating the same amount to Virgin Islands organizations that work with women and children, and called for other elected officials in the Virgin Islands to return any donations from Epstein.
Plasketthas previously condemned Epstein's "reprehensible" criminal behavior. In response to the claims against her, lawyers forPlaskettwrote that she "learned of Epstein's crimes simultaneously with the rest of the country, when news of his arrest broke," according to court filings.
Earlier in 2025, a federal judge dismissed the victims' lawsuit againstPlaskettand the other officials.
