The House narrowly voted against formally reprimanding Stacey Plaskett, a Democratic delegate who represents the United States Virgin Islands as a nonvoting member in the House of Representatives, for communicating with the late accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing.
In a 209-214 vote on Nov. 18, all House Democrats, along with three Republicans, Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Lance Gooden of Texas and Dave Joyce of Ohio voted against the measure. Republican congressmen Andrew Garbarino of New York, Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania and Jay Obernolte of California, were present but chose not to vote.
Thousands of documents released last week included copies of text messages that Plaskett exchanged with Epstein during an Oversight Committee hearing in 2019. Plaskett was going to question Michael Cohen, a former friend of Epstein’s, during the hearing.
During a floor speech on Tuesday, Plaskett denied wrongdoing and said Epstein was a constituent who lived in the Virgin Islands. She said it was “not public knowledge at that time that he was under federal investigation” and that she was just seeking information.
“I know how to question individuals,” said Plaskett, an attorney who has practiced law in New York City, DC and the Virgin Islands. “I know how to seek information. I have sought information from confidential informants, from murderers, from other individuals because I want the truth."
