House Dem mocked for ‘sick,’ ‘dishonest’ defense of Plaskett’s Epstein texts

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., was mocked in the House as “dishonest” and “sick” after the former law school student and colleague argued during a 2019 House hearing that he was merely “taking a call from his constituents” while texting disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

On Tuesday, Republicans introduced a resolution led by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) condemning Plaskett for “improper coordination with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein,” saying the resolution “reflects discreditably on the House of Representatives.”

Plaskett was caught texting Epstein, whose primary residence is the U.S. Virgin Islands, during a 2019 hearing in which former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testified about his work with the former president amid an ongoing investigation into Trump’s business dealings and matters connected to the 2016 election.

“They want to give them another headline! I mean, they took a Democratic member to court in the middle of the hearing for taking a phone call from their own constituent, Jeffrey Epstein. And of course, I don’t think there’s any rule here against taking a phone call at the hearing,” Raskin said on the House floor Tuesday afternoon, amid Congress’ efforts to pass a bill aimed at censuring Plaskett.

FOUND HE SENT A MESSAGE TO DEMOCRAT JEFFREY EPSTEIN

“Are we saying they’re guilty of something just because they spoke on the phone? We need to strip them of their committee assignments. We need to condemn them. Are we there yet? I mean, come on,” he continued. “Look, this is the House of Representatives. The United States of America. Let’s stick to the Constitution. Let’s stick to due process.”

The White House’s Rapid Response team immediately hit back at Raskin on social media, posting a clip of his remarks, which it described as “sick.” Although Raskin’s defense was new, he was not alone. Several House Democrats on Tuesday spoke in defense of the congressional delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands, criticizing Democrats as a “mess.”[ing]“colleagues.

The White House Rapid Response team said in response: “Jamie Raskin, one of the worst embarrassments ever to appear in the halls of Congress, said Stacey Plaskett was merely ‘taking a call from her constituents’ while colluding with a convicted sex offender during a committee hearing.” “These people are SICK!”

Meanwhile, freelance journalist Lee Fang, formerly of The Intercept, called Raskin’s comments “incredibly dishonest” and noted that court filings reveal Plaskett had much closer ties to Epstein than the average voter.

In response to Raskin’s comments, Fang said, “Incredibly dishonest. Plaskett aided Epstein while serving in the Virgin Islands government with tax credits, worked directly for Epstein’s fixer, then received generous campaign support from Epstein and his aides to clinch election victory.” he said.

NEW RECORDS SHOW EPSTEIN’S PRIVATE EMAILS TO GHISLAINE MAXWELL AND OTHERS BELONG TO TRUMP

Stacey Plaskett, Democratic delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands, speaks at a House Judicial Selection Subcommittee hearing on Arming the Federal Government. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Fang previously reported in 2023 that this was not the case, even though Plaskett tried to distance herself from the disgraced financier and claimed she had no knowledge of campaign donations made to her from Epstein.

“Not only did Plaskett repeatedly solicit financial contributions from Epstein and meet with him face to face on multiple occasions, he also worked directly with a St. Thomas-based law firm that played a role in creating influence for Epstein’s clandestine activities,” Fang wrote at the time.

He also added that Plaskett’s relationship with Epstein could potentially go back even further because he previously served as an attorney for the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority and donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Epstein for alleged “tax breaks allegedly improperly obtained over two decades.”

“The spin is outrageous,” conservative influencer CJ Pearson said of Raskin’s defense.

“You can’t make up for this!” Eric Daugherty, deputy news director for Voice News in Florida, quipped:

Red State writer Bonchie wrote of X: “Let anyone who does not collude with a convicted sex offender to rig questions at trial cast the first stone.”

“Why is Raskin trying to downplay his colleague chatting with a convicted sex offender? Is it because he knows his colleague Hakeem also wanted dinner with Epstein? Or is it because he’s worried about what else will be revealed about the Democrats…?” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson made a post on X.

In her response to Raskin’s House comments questioning whether the Maryland Democrat is “real,” conservative journalist, filmmaker and podcaster Mel K highlighted that Raskin is Plaskett’s professor at American University’s law school.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., was at the forefront of Democrats’ defense of U.S. Virgin Islands congressional delegate Stacey Plaskett on Tuesday after Republicans sought to condemn her for texting Jeffrey Epstein during a hearing on Donald Trump in 2019. (Getty/AP)

Plaskett, defended by Raskin and others in the House of Representatives, also stood up and argued that Epstein was under federal investigation, arguing that there was “no public information at the time.”

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After transcripts of the hearing went viral on Tuesday, Plaskett said, “I began to receive countless messages from friends, from enemies, from constituents about what happened in that hearing. And I also received a message from Jeffrey Epstein, who was a constituent of mine at the time and was not publicly aware at the time that he was under federal investigation.” he said.

“I recently heard that I was getting advice from someone,” Plaskett added in his defense in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. “Let me tell you something. I don’t need advice on how to question anyone. I’ve been a lawyer for 30 years.”

A resolution to censure and remove Plaskett failed in a House vote Tuesday night.