Newly released documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate have caused a major stir in Washington. The documents, totaling more than 20,000 pages, show that Epstein appeared to be texting with a member of the U.S. House during a highly watched 2019 hearing. This hearing featured Michael Cohen, the former fixer and personal attorney for Donald Trump, as he testified before the House oversight committee.
During that February 2019 session, Cohen accused Trump of racism, financial fraud, and directing hush-money payments meant to hide his extramarital affairs. Trump denied all the allegations. As the hearing unfolded live, Epstein, a convicted sex offender with a long history of ties to powerful people, appeared to be engaged in real-time text exchanges with a lawmaker inside the committee room.
Although the official documents do not name the lawmaker, an analysis by the Washington Post matched the timestamps of Epstein’s messages with video from the hearing. Based on this review, the outlet reported that the person texting Epstein appeared to be Stacey Plaskett, the non-voting Democratic delegate representing the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Plaskett’s office did not directly confirm this, but her chief of staff stated she was “not in a position to confirm or not” whether Plaskett was the person communicating with Epstein during the hearing.
Texts Sent While the Hearing Was Underway
The transcripts show Epstein reacting to Cohen’s words and offering comments that seemed linked to the hearing’s developments. At one point, Epstein texted, “Cohen brought up RONA – keeper of the secrets,” referring to Rhona Graff, Trump’s longtime executive assistant, although he misspelled her name.
The person receiving the message quickly replied, “RONA?? Quick I’m up next is that an acronym,” suggesting they were minutes away from questioning Cohen themselves. Epstein then clarified, “That’s his assistant.”
As the witness spoke, Epstein texted again, saying, “Hes opened the door to questions re who are the other henchmen at trump org.” Soon afterward, Plaskett questioned Cohen about Trump associates he had mentioned. She asked if there were “other people that we should be meeting with”, urging him to list names quickly. Cohen responded by identifying Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization.
Plaskett also pressed Cohen again about Rhona Graff, after Epstein had brought up her name in the texts. Cohen described Graff as Trump’s executive assistant whose office was next to Trump’s and who was involved in many activities within the organization.
Trump accused of ‘knowing about the girls’ in Epstein leak — Newsom claps back with viral fury
Another surprising message emerged from the documents. During the hearing, Epstein texted, “Are you chewing.” Just one minute earlier, a live television feed had shown Plaskett appearing to chew while waiting for her turn. The person replied, “Not any more. Chewing interior of my mouth. Bad habit from middle school.” After Plaskett finished her questions, Epstein texted again, saying, “Good work.”
Growing Concerns After the Document Release
The release of these communications has revived long-running concerns about Epstein’s connections to influential figures. These texts show that even during a major congressional hearing in 2019, Epstein appeared to have direct access to a sitting House delegate.
Democratic lawmakers have also pointed to three newly disclosed emails within the document release, saying they suggest Trump may have known more about Epstein’s activities than he acknowledged publicly.
Plaskett later became known for serving as an impeachment manager during Trump’s 2021 Senate impeachment trial related to the events of January 6. She remains a significant political figure representing the U.S. Virgin Islands, a territory without a voting seat in Congress.
