Imagine a sitting congresswoman cozying up to one of the most notorious figures in modern history—well, that’s exactly the scandal unfolding around Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-USVI).
The New York Post reported on Plaskett’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, through campaign donations, personal meetings, and even real-time assistance during congressional hearings, all of which culminated in a failed House resolution to censure her.
Let’s rewind to 2014, when Plaskett, a lawyer and former federal prosecutor who moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2005, first met Epstein at his St. Thomas office during her initial congressional campaign.
Epstein, already a convicted sex offender since 2008, was seen as a “potential donor,” and Plaskett didn’t shy away from seeking his support.
That same year, an email from then-U.S. Virgin Islands First Lady Cecile de Jongh, who managed Epstein’s local companies, urged him to back Plaskett’s campaign, hinting at the benefits of having a “friend” in Congress.
“Jeffrey, your help is needed,” de Jongh wrote, practically rolling out the red carpet for a relationship that now raises serious eyebrows (Cecile de Jongh, June 2014 email to Jeffrey Epstein).
Between 2014 and 2020, Epstein and his associates funneled at least $30,000 into Plaskett’s campaigns across three election cycles, with specific contributions like $10,700 each from his lawyer Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn.
Plaskett also secured $13,000 from Epstein for the Democratic Party of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and in 2018, she personally met him at his Upper East Side townhouse to solicit a hefty $30,000 for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee—though that request was ultimately denied after a vetting failure.
Her description of that meeting, with its “very long table” and casual chat, paints a picture of unsettling familiarity for someone dealing with a known predator (Stacey Plaskett, 2023 deposition).
Fast forward to 2019, and the plot thickens—files from Epstein’s estate show he fed Plaskett questions during a House Oversight Committee hearing featuring Michael Cohen, a clear attempt to tarnish a political opponent’s reputation.
Epstein even messaged her “Good work” after her questioning, a chilling pat on the back from a man arrested on sex-trafficking charges later that year.
One has to wonder how a public servant justifies such close coordination with a figure of Epstein’s infamy—constituent or not, this crosses a line.
Plaskett has downplayed these ties, calling Epstein merely a constituent. Still, House Republicans, led by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), pushed for accountability with a censure resolution that narrowly failed by a 209-214 vote.
Norman didn’t mince words, arguing that Congress can’t ignore a member’s deep financial and personal links to such a controversial figure, a sentiment many on the right share as they demand transparency from both Plaskett and the Virgin Islands government.
While Plaskett claims to have redirected Epstein-linked funds to women’s groups in 2019, and ongoing investigations into his billion-dollar transactions through JP Morgan Chase continue, the stain of this association isn’t easily washed away.