Tipsheet

You Won't Believe What Stacey Plaskett Said When CNN Pressed Her on Epstein Texts

Jeff Charles
Jeff Charles  |  November 19, 2025 1:00 PM

You know it’s bad for you when you’re a Democrat and even CNN is coming after you. Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), who recently avoided censure, had previously tried to explain why she was texting with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing with former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.

During a recent interview, Plaskett explained why she was exchanging text messages with the sex trafficker. “I believe that Jeffrey Epstein had information, and I was going to get information to get it the truth,” she said. “Having a friendship with him is not something that I would deem to have. And so I'm just looking forward. I'm moving forward. And I think that that's what we, as American people, should do, is move forward.”

The lawmaker added, “If individuals are not involved in illegal activity, extending his criminal enterprise or his financial enterprise or all of those things, I think that we need to look at what people are doing moving forward.”

The host didn’t let this one go. “Wait, let me just try to understand that. What is that point? Because at the time, he was a sex offender, and it had been detailed, all the sexual abuse,” she said.

Plaskett responded by saying, “there are a lot of people who have done a lot of crimes, and as a prosecutor, you get information from people where you can.”

During the 2019 hearing, Plaskett had what appeared to be a full-on conversation with Epstein in which he instructed her on which questions to ask Cohen. 

Epstein texted, “Cohen brought up RONA – keeper of the secrets,” referring to Trump’s longtime assistant, Rhona Graff. Plaskett, preparing to question Cohen, replied, “RONA?? Quick I’m up next is that an acronym,” to which Epstein clarified, “Thats his assistant.” 

Plaskett then referenced Graff when questioning Cohen. Epstein wrote, “Good work.”

Then, he got a little creepy. “Great outfit,” he wrote, “You look great.”

“Thanks!” Plaskett replied.

At another point, Epstein asked, “are you chewing”

“Not any more. Chewing interior of my mouth. Bad habit from middle school,” she responded.

Plaskett had also defended her text message exchange with Epstein while speaking on the House floor.

“I got a text from Jeffrey Epstein, who at the time was my constituent,” she said. “It was not public knowledge at that time that he was under federal investigation.”

Yet, as the host pointed out, this was after he had already been arrested for child sex crimes.

The interactions emerged over the past week, which sparked the ill-fated effort to censure Plaskett and remove her from the Intelligence Committee. The House eventually voted against this action.

At least two Republican lawmakers explained that the failed vote was the result of a deal with Democrats to prevent them from censuring Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) over allegations of assault and revenge porn.