Epstein’s Texts to Congresswoman Reveal Influence on 2019 Hearing

Washington, D.C. — Newly released documents show that Jeffrey Epstein exchanged text messages with Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett during a House Oversight Committee hearing in 2019, possibly influencing her questions directed at Michael Cohen, former attorney for Donald Trump. The hearing took place on February 27, 2019, and Cohen testified about Trump’s alleged payments to women to conceal their stories before the 2016 election. Trump has denied all allegations.

Epstein, a convicted sex offender, appeared to be watching the hearing on television as he communicated with Plaskett, the non-voting Democratic delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Texts reveal that Epstein provided Plaskett with real-time guidance on how to question Cohen about Trump’s associates. One text mentioned Cohen referencing Rhona Graff, a former Trump executive assistant.

“Cohen brought up RONA – keeper of the secrets,” Epstein texted, misspelling Graff’s first name. Plaskett responded, “Quick I’m up next is that an acronym?” suggesting she was preparing to question Cohen soon.

As Plaskett began her questioning, she asked about Graff and other Trump associates. “You’ve got to quickly give us as many names as you can so we can get to them,” she urged Cohen. During the hearing, she specifically followed up on Epstein’s note about Graff, asking, “Is Ms. Rhona, what is Ms. Rhona’s— …?”

Cohen responded, detailing Graff’s close relationship to Trump and her involvement in many of his business dealings. After the questioning concluded, Epstein texted Plaskett, “Good work,” signaling his approval of her questions.

The documents were part of an extensive release of about 20,000 pages from Epstein’s estate that became public on Wednesday. While the released texts redacted Plaskett’s name, media analysis determined that she was the lawmaker in contact with Epstein based on hearing footage and timestamps.

At the time of the texts, Epstein had already been convicted of state prostitution charges and was later charged with sex trafficking minors. His connections to the U.S. Virgin Islands stem from his ownership of two private islands in the territory, which prosecutors identified as central to his trafficking operations.

Plaskett’s office initially declined to comment on the messages but later confirmed that she received various texts during the hearing. “During the hearing, Congresswoman Plaskett received texts from staff, constituents and the public at large offering advice, support, and in some cases partisan vitriol, including from Epstein,” her spokesperson stated. Plaskett went on to assert her history of combating sexual assault and human trafficking.

In July 2019, Plaskett vowed to return over $8,000 in campaign donations from Epstein after initially indicating she would not. In June 2023, she made headlines due to comments made on MSNBC about Trump that she quickly corrected.

The release of these documents has reignited focus on Epstein’s relationships with influential figures and raised questions about political transparency and oversight.