Congresswoman's Shocking Epstein Texts During Trump Probe
Democratic Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett was texting convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while questioning Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen during a congressional hearing, newly released documents have revealed. The Washington Post uncovered that Plaskett, the non-voting delegate for the US Virgin Islands, exchanged multiple messages with Epstein during the February 2019 House Oversight Committee hearing.
Real-Time Coordination During Hearing
The documents show Plaskett reached out to Epstein before the hearing began, telling him "He'll talk about his grades." Epstein responded with questions about college transcripts as the hearing went live on television, adding "You look great." The exchange continued throughout Cohen's testimony, with Epstein apparently influencing the line of questioning.
At one point, when the broadcast feed showed Plaskett moving her mouth, Epstein texted: "Are you chewing?" She responded: "Not any more. Chewing interior of my mouth. Bad habit from middle school." The casual nature of their exchange during such a significant hearing has raised serious questions about professional conduct.
Epstein's Direct Influence on Questioning
Two hours before Plaskett questioned Cohen, Epstein messaged: "He's opened the door to questions, re who are the other henchmen at Trump org." Plaskett responded: "Yup. Very aware and awaiting my turn." Later, Epstein alerted her about "RONA - keeper of the secrets," referring to Trump's former executive assistant Rhona Graff.
A frantic Plaskett responded at 2:25pm: "RONA??, quick I'm up next is that an acronym?" Epstein clarified: "That's his assistant." Just three minutes later, at 2:28pm, Plaskett began questioning Cohen, immediately asking about "other henchmen" at the Trump Organization.
During her questioning, she pressed Cohen: "Are there other people that we should be meeting with?" When Cohen mentioned former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, Plaskett interrupted: "You've got to quickly give us as many names as you can so we can get to them. Is Ms Rhona, what is Ms Rhona's?"
Context and Aftermath
At the time of these messages, Epstein was already a convicted sex offender, having pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor. He would later be charged with federal sex trafficking crimes in July 2019 and was found dead in a Manhattan jail cell that August.
Cohen's testimony itself was highly significant, alleging that Trump was racist, manipulated financial records, and ordered hush money payments to cover up extramarital affairs - all claims that Trump denied.
Plaskett's office confirmed the reports, stating: "During the hearing, Congresswoman Plaskett received texts from staff, constituents and the public at large offering advice, support and in some cases partisan vitriol, including from Epstein." They emphasised her "long record combating sexual assault and human trafficking" and her "disgust over Epstein's deviant behavior."
The revelation raises serious questions about the propriety of a member of Congress communicating with a known sex offender during official proceedings, particularly one who appeared to be influencing the direction of questioning in a high-profile investigation.
