Democrat Stacey Plaskett Faced Criticism Over Epstein Ties in 2016, Years Before She Claims To Have Learned About Pedophile’s Misdeeds

U.S. Virgin Islands delegate Stacey Plaskett (D.), under scrutiny for texting disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein during a House hearing, has given differing accounts of what and when she knew about the notorious sex predator's crimes, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis.

Plaskett, a member of the House Intelligence Committee and one-time rising star of the Democratic Party, was made aware of allegations about Epstein as early as October 2016, according to little-noticed news reports in the Virgin Islands press.

That contradicts Plaskett's claim on Tuesday and in court filings to have discovered the bad news about Epstein after his arrest in July 2019.

In fact, Plaskett was publicly lambasted for—and publicly responded to criticism of—her relationship with Epstein years earlier. Plaskett challenger Gordon Ackley criticized the Democrat for taking $5,400 in campaign donations from Epstein, saying "it is disgusting that our congresswoman took thousands of dollars from a convicted pedophile." Plaskett refused to disavow Epstein, who had been convicted of sex crimes involving minors in 2008 and lived at a Virgin Islands compound that had been dubbed "Pedophile Island."

"Any individual is free to give to campaigns," said Plaskett. "Mr. Epstein and any Virgin Islander, by law, is free to contribute to any candidate they feel is best suited to lead the territory." She accused Ackley of hypocrisy for endorsing Donald Trump, who she said "has been accused of sexual assault along with racist and discriminatory language."

Plaskett’s latest remarks came Tuesday, in response to revelations that she exchanged text messages with Epstein during a Feb. 27, 2019, hearing with former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen—a revelation House Republicans used in a failed attempt to censure Plaskett and remove her from the House Intelligence Committee.

"I got a text from Jeffrey Epstein, who at the time was my constituent," Plaskett said. "It was not public knowledge at that time that he was under federal investigation." Plaskett’s remarks echo what her attorney wrote on her behalf in a court filing earlier last year in a lawsuit against Plaskett and others over the Epstein affair. "Congresswoman Plaskett learned of Epstein’s crimes simultaneously with the rest of the country, when news of his arrest broke," wrote Plaskett attorney Eric Breslin.

Breslin did not respond to a request for comment. Plaskett’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The revelations about Plaskett’s text messages came from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s release of 20,000 documents obtained from the Epstein estate. Plaskett’s texts—beyond showing that Epstein had her personal phone number—reveal that she took Epstein’s suggestions about what to ask Cohen, a longtime Trump loyalist who turned on his former boss after he was charged with tax fraud in 2018.

And Epstein complimented Plaskett on both her questions and her appearance, the messages show.

"You look great," wrote Epstein. "Thanks," Plaskett replied.

Plaskett defended her text exchange on Wednesday, telling CNN, "I believed that Jeffrey Epstein had information, and I was going to get information to get at the truth." She denied being friends with Epstein, saying that "having a friendship with [Epstein] is not something that I would deign to have."

But that’s not how Epstein and his underlings saw it, according to emails reported by the Free Beacon.

Plaskett’s allies leaned heavily on Epstein and his network to fund her longshot 2014 congressional campaign, even suggesting Plaskett would be "a friend" to the disgraced financier.

"Your help is needed," Cecile de Jongh, who at the time was first lady of the Virgin Islands, wrote Epstein on June 19, 2014. "We are trying to get Stacey Plaskett elected to Congress."

De Jongh, who also worked as Epstein’s office manager, blasted Plaskett’s challenger, Shawn Malone, who had criticized Epstein’s sexual exploits at a Virgin Islands senate hearing a week earlier.

"[Malone] is nasty and needs to be defeated," wrote de Jongh. "We would have a friend in Stacey."

Epstein told de Jongh he would have several employees donate maximum amounts to Plaskett’s campaign—and they did so to the tune of $10,400. Plaskett won her race by 737 votes in what local newspapers called one of the "biggest upsets" in Virgin Islands history.

Plaskett went back to the Epstein well several more times, records show, even as Epstein’s crimes received more media attention.

"If you would share this invitation with Jeffrey I'd be much appreciative," Plaskett wrote in a July 12, 2018, email to Epstein assistant Lesley Groff. "I would be grateful for his support and the support of those that he may direct to assist me."

Plaskett visited Epstein at his New York City townhome in 2018 to ask for a $30,000 check for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Epstein made the contribution, but the DCCC ultimately denied it after "vetting" Epstein, Plaskett said in a June 2023 deposition.

In all, Epstein, his assistants, and his attorney, Erika Kellerhals, contributed more than $32,000 to Plaskett’s campaigns, according to campaign disclosures. Kellerhals, who helped Epstein purchase "Pedophile Island" in 1998, donated $948 to Plaskett’s campaign in 2021, records show.

Plaskett’s Democratic colleagues have rallied to her defense. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) refused to condemn Plaskett's text exchanges with Epstein, accusing Republicans of trying to "weaponize" the issue.

In a speech on the House floor, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D., Md.), Plaskett's former law professor at American University, asked of her text messages with Epstein: "Where is the ethical transgression?"

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D., Texas), in her House floor remarks, falsely accused Republicans of accepting donations from Epstein.

Crockett said she "had my team dig in very quickly" to campaign finance reports and discovered that "somebody named Jeffrey Epstein" donated to the presidential campaigns for Mitt Romney, George W. Bush, and John McCain. She also said Epstein donated to former Republican congressman Lee Zeldin and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

"If this is the standard that we’re going to make, just know that we’re going to disclose it all," said Crockett.

But Crockett, who is reportedly considering a run for Texas Senate, identified the wrong Epstein, campaign filings show. Several of the donations she identified were from a physician named Epstein and others from other men with the same name as the disgraced sex criminal.

The donations to Zeldin’s campaign were made in 2020, a year after Epstein killed himself.

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