Collins Presses Jeffries Over Stacey Plaskett’s Texts with Jeffrey Epstein in Tense On-Air Exchange

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries faced persistent questioning during a televised interview after newly released documents showed text messages between Representative Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) and Jeffrey Epstein that were sent while Plaskett sat on a congressional panel during Michael Cohen's 2019 testimony.

The messages, disclosed by the House Oversight Committee, were sent in February 2019 and appear to guide Plaskett's line of questioning before Epstein signed off with "Good work." The release of those records followed congressional action to make Epstein-related files public; the measure moved through Congress and was headed to the president's desk.

That same evening, Plaskett defended the exchange on the House floor, calling Epstein a "constituent" and noting the texts occurred months before federal inquiries into him were widely known. A bid to censure Plaskett narrowly failed in a 209-214 vote.

On-air exchange

During the interview, the correspondent pressed Jeffries repeatedly about whether Plaskett's communications with Epstein — a registered sex offender convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor — were appropriate. Jeffries declined to condemn Plaskett, emphasizing the priority was securing transparency for survivors and releasing the files.

Interviewer: You heard Stacey Plaskett. She says her texts with Jeffrey Epstein were not illegal. In your view, were they appropriate?

Jeffries: Stacey Plaskett is not accused of violating any House rule or law. She has denounced Jeffrey Epstein, and our focus has been on ensuring the release of the files so survivors get transparency.

The correspondent repeated the question several times over roughly two minutes; each time, Jeffries reiterated that he would not weigh in and urged attention to the bipartisan vote that defeated the censure resolution. He also characterized the censure effort as politically motivated.

The interview also touched on Jeffries' own appearance in the released records: earlier email disclosures included a decade-old fundraising overture that mentioned a possible meeting with Epstein when Jeffries was an emerging member of Congress. Jeffries said he has "no recollection" of any such outreach and "certainly" never accepted money from Epstein.

The exchange drew renewed attention as lawmakers, survivors and the public examine the newly disclosed documents and press for transparency and accountability.