An attempt by House Republicans to censure Stacey Plaskett, a Democratic delegate, over her text exchanges with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein collapsed on the House floor on Tuesday night. The resolution, which would have formally reprimanded Plaskett and removed her from the House intelligence committee, failed by a vote of 209 to 214.
The texts at the centre of the controversy showed Epstein coaching Plaskett during a 2019 House oversight committee hearing with Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former attorney. In one exchange, Epstein alerted Plaskett to a mention of Trump’s assistant, and Plaskett replied asking if it was an acronym. Epstein also complimented her appearance, writing “Great outfit”. Plaskett responded, “Thanks!”
After the vote, Democrats withdrew a planned censure resolution against Cory Mills, a Florida Republican representative facing allegations of stolen valour, financial misconduct and domestic abuse. Mills has denied the accusations. The sequence prompted accusations of a backroom deal, with Representative Lauren Boebert shouting at fellow Republicans on the floor.
Several House Republicans accused party leaders of orchestrating an agreement to protect both Plaskett and Mills. Kat Cammack, a Florida Republican, wrote on X that “a handful of Republicans took a dive on a vote to strip Stacey Plaskett of her position on House intel because of her ties to Epstein. They did it to protect a Republican facing his own ethics issues.”
Plaskett’s office said she received messages “from staff, constituents and the public at large offering advice, support and in some cases partisan vitriol, including from Epstein” during the hearing. The statement emphasised her record combating sexual assault and human trafficking. Mills faces a separate restraining order granted by a Florida judge in October after a former girlfriend accused him of threatening to release intimate photographs.
