Epstein was texting US House member during 2019 hearing with Michael Cohen | Jeffrey Epstein
Newly released documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate show that the convicted sex offender exchanged messages with a member of Congress during a 2019 House hearing with Donald Trump’s former fixer and personal attorney, Michael Cohen, and that those messages may have influenced the lawmaker’s questioning.
Documents filed with Congress this week include transcripts suggesting that Epstein was in direct contact with lawmakers while the trial was ongoing. The Washington Post reported.
Although the minutes do not name the lawmaker Epstein texted during the February 2019 hearing, an analysis by the Post suggests it was Stacey Plaskett, the nonvoting Democratic delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands. By matching timestamps of the messages with video of the hearing, the analysis concluded that Plaskett was the member of Congress who was in contact with Epstein.
At the time, Cohen was appearing before the House oversight committee to testify against Trump, accusing him of racism, financial fraud and secret payments to hide extramarital affairs. Trump denied all of these allegations.
“Cohen brought up RONA, keeper of secrets,” Epstein texted Trump’s former executive assistant Rhona Graff, referring to her, but misspelled her name.
“RONA??” the person replied. The person suggested they would question Cohen soon, adding, “Quickly next, this is an acronym.”
Plaskett’s office did not immediately respond to the Guardian’s request for comment. His chief of staff told the Post that he was “not in a position to confirm” whether the congresswoman texted with Epstein during the hearing.
When Plaskett questioned Cohen during the hearing, he asked about business associates Trump had previously mentioned and “if there were any other people we should be meeting with.”
“So Allen Weisselberg is the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization,” Cohen replied.
“You have to give us as many names as you can so we can reach them,” Plaskett said. “That’s Miss Rhona, what’s Miss Rhona’s –…”
“Rhona Graff is Mr. Trump’s executive assistant… Her office is right next door to his and she’s involved in a lot of things that are going on,” Cohen replied.
The interaction is part of more than 20,000 pages released Wednesday that reignited the long-running scandal over Epstein’s dealings with the rich and powerful. Democratic lawmakers said the messages and three newly disclosed emails suggest Trump may have known more about Epstein’s activities than he was publicly letting on.
On the day of the hearing, Epstein asked the person, “Are you chewing?” he messaged. A moment earlier, live television coverage of the hearing had been interrupted because Plaskett appeared to be chewing.
“Not anymore,” the person responded to Epstein. “I chew the inside of my mouth. It’s a bad habit from middle school.”
Plaskett was the first delegate in the House of Representatives without a vote during Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate in 2021 for inciting the attack on the US Capitol on January 6. He represents the U.S. Virgin Islands, a non-voting territory in Congress.
