Lee Zeldin for receiving campaign donations from a person named Jeffrey Epstein . Crockett’s claim badly misfired because the donor in question was a New York physician, not the convicted billionaire sex offender. Zeldin quickly fired back on X, confirming the donation but clarifying: “Yes Crockett, a physician named Dr. Jeffrey Epstein (who is a totally different person than the other Jeffrey Epstein) donated to a prior campaign of mine. NO FREAKIN RELATION, YOU GENIUS!” Screenshots from Federal Elections Commission ( FEC ) reports reported that Zeldin’s donation came from the physician after the notorious financier had already died in 2019.
Plaskett Censure Attempt Fails Over Epstein Texts
The dispute arose amid a House debate on a resolution to censure Virgin Islands Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D) for her past relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein. The censure effort, led by the House Freedom Caucus and introduced by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), aimed to formally reprimand Plaskett and remove her from the influential House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence . Norman argued that the House has a duty to protect its integrity after newly released documents from Epstein’s estate revealed text messages between the convicted predator and Plaskett.
Details of Epstein’s Texts with Plaskett
The thousands of pages of emails, texts, and other communications released by the House Oversight Committee show a cordial friendship between Plaskett and Epstein. The documents reveal that Epstein appeared to be watching a February 2019 congressional hearing in real time, during which Michael Cohen , former attorney to President Donald Trump, was testifying. Epstein sent texts to Plaskett complimenting her appearance (“Great outfit,” “You look great”) and providing information, including alerting her that Cohen had referred to Trump’s former assistant, Rhona Graff. Plaskett, who was preparing to question Cohen, responded to Epstein’s alerts, suggesting the financier influenced her line of questioning.
Censure Vote and Defense
Rep. Ralph Norman emphasized that Plaskett “inappropriately coordinated” with a convicted sex offender on official proceedings, saying her conduct “reflects discreditably” on the House. Plaskett defended herself by stating that Epstein was a “constituent” of hers due to his primary residence in the Virgin Islands and that she sought information from him as she would from “confidential informants, from murderers, from other individuals,” because she was trying to get to the truth. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) countered that the censure was a “pathetic effort to distract” from other individuals named in the Epstein material, arguing that Plaskett committed no “ethical transgression” by taking a phone call from a constituent. The resolution to censure Plaskett ultimately failed on Tuesday with a 209-214 vote , with all Democrats, three Republicans voting no, and three Republicans voting present.