• House votes 209-214 to reject Republican-led censure resolution against Virgin Islands delegate
• Three GOP members cross party lines as Democrats threaten retaliatory measure
• Controversy centers on 2019 text exchanges during Michael Cohen congressional testimony

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TDR) — The House rejected a Republican-backed resolution late Tuesday night to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett and remove her from the Intelligence Committee over text exchanges with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing. The measure failed by a 209-214 margin, with three Republicans joining all Democrats in opposition.

Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas, and Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio voted against the censure, while three other Republicans voted present. The vote came hours after the House overwhelmingly approved legislation directing the Justice Department to release files related to Epstein.

Texts revealed during Cohen hearing

The censure resolution, introduced by Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, accused Plaskett of “inappropriate coordination with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a congressional hearing.” Documents from Epstein’s estate released by the House Oversight Committee show that Plaskett texted with Epstein during the February 2019 hearing featuring Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump‘s former personal attorney.

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Text messages analyzed by The Washington Post reveal Epstein appeared to be watching the hearing in real time. He texted Plaskett about Rhona Graff, a longtime Trump executive assistant, writing “Cohen brought up RONA – keeper of the secrets.” Plaskett responded “RONA??” and “Quick I’m up next is that an acronym,” before questioning Cohen about Graff minutes later. After Plaskett’s questioning concluded, Epstein texted “Good work.”

“Members of Congress owe the American people honesty and ethical conduct,” Norman said during floor debate. “No one who turns to a convicted predator for input on how to conduct official business should sit on the Intelligence Committee.”

Democrats mount defense

Plaskett defended herself on the House floor, describing Epstein as a constituent from the U.S. Virgin Islands where he owned a private island. “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,” she said.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Plaskett’s former law professor, argued she merely took “a phone call from one of her constituents.” He warned Republicans to “be careful” about their censure standard, noting “there’s a lot more that’s about to come out” regarding Epstein connections.

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Democrats attempted to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee, but that motion failed 213-214. Plaskett maintained she didn’t need advice from anyone on questioning witnesses, citing her 30-year career as a prosecutor and her record combating sexual assault and human trafficking.

Republican backlash over alleged deal

The vote sparked bitter recriminations within the GOP, with several Republicans accusing their colleagues of striking a backroom deal. Democrats had introduced their own resolution to censure Rep. Cory Mills of Florida and remove him from the House Armed Services Committee. Mills faces allegations including domestic abuse, stolen valor, and financial misconduct, which he denies.

Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida wrote on social media 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 from a similar vote. This backroom deal sh** is swampy, wrong and always deserves to be called out.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado could be heard on the House floor lashing out at members of her own party over the failure of the censure push. Democrats withdrew their Mills censure resolution after the Plaskett measure failed, according to congressional aides.

Epstein’s Virgin Islands connections

Epstein owned Little Saint James island in the Virgin Islands from 1998 until his death in August 2019. He had pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges of soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida, serving 13 months. In July 2019, he was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges before his death in a Manhattan jail cell, ruled a suicide.

Plaskett received campaign donations from Epstein during the 2016 and 2018 election cycles. After his 2019 arrest, she initially said she would keep the contributions before reversing course and donating the amounts to Virgin Islands organizations working with women and children.

After the vote, Plaskett released a statement saying “the House vote today affirmed what I have maintained from the beginning: the accusations behind this censure effort were rooted in partisanship, not facts.” She added that she supports releasing all Epstein files held by the FBI, estate, or other entities.

Should members of Congress face consequences for communicating with convicted offenders during official proceedings?

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