House Democrat was texting with Epstein during congressional hearing, docs show

Newly disclosed documents show a connection between convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and a House Democrat. 

During a February 2019 House Oversight Committee hearing, where lawyer Michael Cohen was testifying against President Donald Trump, Epstein was exchanging text messages with a Democratic lawmaker in real time, offering detailed advice on how to damage Trump’s reputation.  

The member in question is Delegate Stacey Plaskett, who represents the U.S. Virgin Islands. While her name was redacted in the released files, the timing and content of the messages aligned closely with her actions on the floor of the hearing. Her office confirmed she has texted with Epstein.

In one exchange, Epstein texted, “Cohen brought up RONA — keeper of the secrets,” referring to Rhona Graff, Trump’s longtime executive assistant, even though Epstein misspelled her name.  

Plaskett replied, “RONA?? Quick I’m up next is that an acronym,” signaling that she was going to question Cohen soon. Epstein followed up, “That’s his assistant.”  

Further messages suggest Epstein may have guided which lines of inquiry Plaskett should hit. At one point, he wrote, “Hes opened the door to questions re who are the other henchmen at trump org.”  

Plaskett responded, “Yup. Very aware and waiting my turn.”  

During her questioning, Plaskett confronted Cohen about Trump associates, including both Graff and Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s CFO — names Epstein had helped flag.  Near the end of the hearing, Epstein congratulated her, texting, “Good work,” shortly after she finished her line of questioning at the hearing.

At the time of the exchange, Epstein was a convicted sex offender who served time in Florida. He would later face federal sex-trafficking charges.  

Plaskett’s office responded to the leaks, confirming she received texts from a broad range of sources during the hearing, including Epstein. Her team described Epstein’s outreach as part of “broader input” she received, and defended her actions, saying she welcomes “information that helps her get at the truth.”