Lawmakers defeated a Freedom Caucus-led resolution to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.) and remove her from the House Intelligence panel after text messages surfaced showing contact between Plaskett and Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 hearing. The measure failed 209-214 after three Republicans voted against it and three voted 'present.' Democrats said the House denied Plaskett due process; Republicans argued the messages raised serious ethical questions. A separate attempt to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee narrowly failed 213-214, and the House previously voted overwhelmingly to force release of unclassified Epstein files.
House Rejects Freedom Caucus Censure of Del. Stacey Plaskett After Epstein Texts Surface
Lawmakers defeated a Freedom Caucus-led resolution to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.) and remove her from the House Intelligence panel after text messages surfaced showing contact between Plaskett and Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 hearing. The measure failed 209-214 after three Republicans voted against it and three voted 'present.' Democrats said the House denied Plaskett due process; Republicans argued the messages raised serious ethical questions. A separate attempt to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee narrowly failed 213-214, and the House previously voted overwhelmingly to force release of unclassified Epstein files.
10:42 AM, 11/19/2025Politics
Lawmakers voted down a Freedom Caucus-backed resolution to censure Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.) and remove her from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence after newly surfaced text messages showed contact between Plaskett and Jeffrey Epstein during a February 2019 congressional hearing.
Key details of the vote
The censure measure, introduced by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), failed 209-214. Three House Republicans — Reps. Lance Gooden (R-Tex.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), and Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) — voted against the resolution, while Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), and Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) recorded 'present' votes.
What the texts show
The disputed messages were found in a tranche of documents from Epstein's estate provided to the House Oversight Committee. They date to February 2019, when Michael Cohen was testifying before Congress. In at least one exchange, Epstein appears to take an active interest in Plaskett's line of questioning; one text attributed to Epstein reads, 'Hes opened the door to questions re who are the other henchmen at trump org.' Plaskett is shown replying, 'Yup. Very aware and waiting my turn.'
Arguments on the floor
Rep. Ralph Norman argued the messages raised serious concerns about congressional integrity and claimed Plaskett coordinated her oversight questioning with a convicted sex offender.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) countered that the measure denied Plaskett due process and that Republicans were rushing to judgment without referring the matter to the House Ethics Committee.
Plaskett defended herself on the House floor, saying Epstein was then a constituent and that it was not publicly known at the time that he was under federal investigation. She also cited her experience as a prosecutor to argue she was not seeking guidance on legal strategy or on how to question witnesses.
Procedural context and broader developments
A separate, Democrat-led effort to refer Plaskett's contacts with Epstein to the House Ethics Committee also failed narrowly, 213-214. Earlier, the full House voted 427-1 to compel the Department of Justice to release all of its unclassified Epstein files, underscoring lawmakers' ongoing interest in materials connected to the late financier.
Neither Plaskett nor former President Donald Trump has been accused of criminal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein's crimes. The episode highlights the partisan tensions over how to handle revelations tied to Epstein and how ethical standards should be applied to members of Congress.