Capitol Hill saw an extraordinary display of panic and political flailing this week as Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) erupted into a full-blown meltdown on the House floor — all because newly released records confirmed she exchanged texts with none other than Jeffrey Epstein during the 2019 Michael Cohen hearing. Yes, that Epstein.
Instead of offering accountability, Plaskett delivered a rambling, shout-filled tirade that ricocheted from excuse to excuse, blaming everyone from Republicans to President Trump to the media. The spectacle, thankfully captured on video, left even some Democrats cringing.
The controversy erupted after reports resurfaced showing that Plaskett — during one of the most widely watched hearings of the Trump era — was receiving real-time “advice” from Epstein. The American Tribune unearthed messages in which Epstein wrote to her during Cohen’s testimony:
“Cohen brought up RONA – keeper of the secrets.”
Plaskett replied in confusion: “RONA?? Quick I’m up next is that an acronym.”
Epstein: “Thats his assistant… Hes opened the door to questions re who are the other henchmen at trump org.”
So while Democrats were theatrically claiming to “defend democracy,” one of their own was consulting a soon-to-be-exposed sexual predator for talking points.
Worse, Plaskett initially refused to return Epstein’s generous campaign contributions even after his crimes were known publicly. Only later — under pressure — did she announce she would donate the money, saying she felt “uncomfortable.” Oddly, she wasn’t uncomfortable enough to reject it before the headlines hit.
Confronted with these facts, Plaskett took to the House floor to try salvaging her reputation, staging one of the most unhinged defenses Washington has seen this year.
“I first want to give you all a sense of what was happening that day…” she began, launching into a dramatic retelling of the 2019 Cohen hearing. According to Plaskett, she was so overwhelmed by the attention that she didn’t realize who she was texting. Then she pivoted — predictably — to attacking Republicans.
She even claimed Epstein was simply “a constituent” at the time, and that it “was not public knowledge” that he was under federal investigation. (It was.)
Desperate to portray herself as a victim, she accused the media of cherry-picking the most damning exchanges — which, unfortunately for her, were the actual exchanges.
“They’ve taken a text exchange which shows no participation, no assistance, no involvement in any illegal activity, and weaponized it for political theater,” she whined, before launching the inevitable Democrat last-ditch defense: blame Trump.
“How often do you text PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP?” she shouted at Republicans, as if that somehow excused her scandal.
The performance did not help her case. One conservative commentator summed up the general reaction: “BREAKING: Stacey Plaskett is having a MELTDOWN after having a censure resolution brought against her. She looks PETRIFIED! All she has is ‘BUT TRUMP.’ This woman should be EXILED from DC PERMANENTLY.”
If Democrats want to lecture Americans about “ethics” and “integrity,” perhaps they should first ask their own members why they were taking cues from Jeffrey Epstein.
