U.S. Delegate Stacey Plaskett drew criticism from her colleagues after calling President Donald Trump a felon on the House floor on the day she dodged a formal censure for trading texts with disgraced financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Plaskett caused a stir in Congress after newly-released materials tied to the Epstein estate revealed that the Democrat from the U.S. Virgin Islands exchanged texts with the late convicted sex offender in 2019, during a congressional hearing with the president’s former attorney, Michael Cohen.
Those texts reveal that Epstein pitched questions Plaskett could ask Cohen during the proceedings.
Plaskett has challenged any assertions that the texts suggested she had close ties with Epstein or committed any wrongdoing. She noted his former status as a constituent of the U.S. Virgin Islands and said that her contact with him was limited to information gathering only.
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She also added that it was “not public knowledge at that time that he was under federal investigation.”
Cohen’s hearing, in which he accused the president of financial fraud, took place in February 2019. Epstein wasn’t formally indicted on charges of sex trafficking minors until July of that year, but allegations about his sexual abuse and misconduct had been public knowledge for years.
Epstein also made thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to Plaskett, but the delegate told CNN that she bypassed those donations and gave them to women’s organizations instead.
âJeffrey Epstein was a constituent. He was a resident of the Virgin Islands, lived there, I guess, more than half of the year because he was registered there. I had received donations from him after the last investigation came out, which was after this texting, I gave any donations that I had previously received from him to womenâs organizations and did not have any contact with him,â Plaskett said.
Republicans proposed a measure that would have ousted Plaskett from the House Intelligence Committee for her texts with Epstein, but it failed to pass with a vote of 209-214.
What’s currently drawing widespread attention on social media is her scathing critique of the measure on the day of the vote.
“You want to talk about texting felons? How often do you text President Donald J. Trump? That’s the individual we should be concerned about,” Plaskett said on the House floor.
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One lawmaker formally objected to Plaskett’s assertion.
“You may not call the president of the United States a felon,” Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde said. “That is a violation.”
Democrats in attendance broke out in protest at the point of order.
“But he is!” one congresswoman can be heard shouting, while another yelled to Clyde: “Shut up! Shut up!”
In response, the congressman presiding over the hearing said Congress members are “reminded to refrain, as mentioned a little while ago, from personality commentary towards the president.”
Video of the exchange went viral online and drew numerous reactions from many viewers who took issue with the assessment of the House member who oversaw the hearing with Plaskett.
“Being a felon is not a personality description. It is a statement of fact,” one Threads user commented.”The ladies are beyond fed up with them! Someone said, “uhhh shut up,” another person said.
“Them all saying in unison âHE ISâ is so funnny now had she said âI said what I saidâ I wouldâve died,” one thread user quipped. “The fact everyone said it in unison is lowkey insane,” another person added.
Trump was convicted on 34 felony charges last May for falsifying business documents to cover up hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
