House Republicans’ attempt to censure Democrat over texts with Epstein fails | Jeffrey Epstein

A Republican attempt to censure a Democratic delegate, Stacey Plaskett, for her real-time messages with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein failed on the House floor Tuesday night, prompting a clash on the chamber floor and accusations that party leaders had struck a deal to protect members facing ethical debates on both sides.

The measure to formally reprimand Plaskett and remove him from the House intelligence committee for his text message exchange with Epstein during the hearing failed by a vote of 209-214.

Republicans Don Bacon of Nebraska, Lance Gooden of Texas and Dave Joyce of Ohio voted against the resolution along with all Democrats, while three other Republicans also cast absentee votes.

Over the past several months, Democrats have made it their mission to release all documents related to Epstein and have pushed for transparency about the financiers’ connections to powerful figures.

But when newly released materials revealed that Plaskett, a Democrat from the U.S. Virgin Islands, had exchanged real-time messages with Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing, all Democrats voted against his condemnation.

Then, immediately after the vote, Democrats withdrew a planned vote of no confidence in Florida Republican representative Cory Mills. stolen courage, financial abuse And domestic violence. Mills denied the accusations.

The sequence resulted in Lauren Boebert, a representative from Colorado, yelling at her fellow Republicans on the House floor, wagging her finger and at one point directly confronting Mills.

Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican representative from Florida, attempted to launch a parliamentary investigation, asking House speaker Mike Johnson to “explain why leaders on both sides, Democrat and Republican, cut backroom deals to cover up public corruption in the House of Representatives.”

“Get it girl,” Boebert shouted in response.

Documents at the center of the controversy show that Epstein text-coached Plaskett during a House oversight committee hearing with Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen. The messages showed that Epstein was monitoring the proceedings and providing information that would inform Plaskett’s interrogation.

Reported for the first time on an exchange by Washington PostEpstein warned Plaskett that Cohen was referring to Rhona Graff, Trump’s longtime executive assistant. “RONA?? I’m coming quickly, that’s an acronym,” Plaskett replied. Epstein responded: “That’s his assistant.”

The documents also show Epstein complimenting Plaskett’s appearance during the hearing, writing, “Great outfit” and “You look great.” Plaskett “Thanks!”

Plaskett’s office said in a statement that during the hearing he “received messages from staff, constituents and the public at large, containing advice, support and, in some cases, partisan harsh words.” The statement also highlighted her history of combating sexual assault and human trafficking and her “disgust with Epstein’s deviant behavior.”

Mills faces separate unrelated controversies, including a restraining order issued by a Florida judge in October after an ex-girlfriend blamed him Threatening to publish intimate photos of her.

Some Republicans in the House of Representatives accused party leaders of orchestrating a deal with Democrats to shield both Plaskett and Mills from censure. Florida representative Kat Cammack wrote to x “A handful of Republicans compromised in voting to strip Stacey Plaskett of her position in House intelligence because of her ties to Epstein. They did so to protect a Republican facing his own ethics issues.”

“This backroom deal nonsense is swamp, wrong and always deserves warning,” he added.

Republican Nancy Mace of South Carolina called it “another back room deal” And Axios reported Wednesday It could force a vote to censure Mills and remove him from his duties on the armed services and foreign relations committees.

Mace had previously tried to condemn Democratic representative Ilhan Omar, whom Mills voted against on First Amendment grounds in September, saying “I’m a constitutionalist.”

Plaskett, who represented the U.S. Virgin Islands as a non-voting delegate, initially refused to return Epstein’s campaign contributions following his arrest in 2019, but reversed course after public criticism. He was named in a 2023 lawsuit by six of Epstein’s accusers alleging that Virgin Islands authorities supported his sex trafficking operation, but the case against him was dismissed earlier this year.