Jeffries Refuses Three Times to Say if Plaskett's Messages with Jeffrey Epstein Were 'Appropriate'

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries repeatedly declined when asked whether it was "appropriate" for Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.) to have exchanged messages with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The exchanges, which surfaced in newly released records, occurred during the February 2019 congressional testimony of Michael Cohen.

Lawmakers voted on Tuesday against a resolution that would have formally censured Plaskett and removed her from the House Intelligence Committee after text messages between her and Epstein were disclosed. The censure effort failed.

Jeffries' response under repeated questioning

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins pressed Jeffries three times on whether a member of the House Democratic Caucus should have been messaging with Epstein, who by then was a registered sex offender. Each time Jeffries declined to call the messages "appropriate," instead emphasizing that:

• Plaskett has not been accused of breaking any House rule or law,
• she has "clearly and unequivocally denounced Jeffrey Epstein," and
• he supports releasing the Department of Justice files related to Epstein so survivors and the public can see the records.

Jeffries also said he had not spoken with Plaskett about the matter before the vote and called the attempt to remove her from the Intelligence Committee an "illegitimate effort" that ultimately failed on a bipartisan basis.

What the messages show

The released texts were sent during the 2019 Cohen hearing, when Cohen testified about alleged payments tied to then-candidate Donald Trump. The messages include an exchange in which Epstein appears to take an interest in Plaskett's questioning: one text attributed to Epstein reads, "He's opened the door to questions re who are the other henchmen at trump org," and Plaskett is shown responding, "Yup. Very aware and waiting my turn."

On the House floor, Plaskett defended herself by saying she received numerous texts from friends, constituents and critics during the hearing and that Epstein, at the time, "was my constituent" and there was no public knowledge then that he was under federal investigation.

Questions about Jeffries' own connection

Collins also raised an email appearing in the Epstein-related materials from a political consulting firm that stated: "We are thrilled to announce we are working with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. Shoot us an email or give us a call if you would like to get involved." Jeffries said he had no recollection of the email, denied ever meeting Epstein, and reiterated that he never received a donation from him.

Jeffries framed his responses around supporting transparency for survivors and ensuring that records are made public, rather than offering a direct judgment on whether Plaskett's communications with Epstein were appropriate.

Status: The disclosures prompted discussion and an unsuccessful censure effort; broader efforts to release and review Epstein-related files remain ongoing.