Congress Votes to Shield Plaskett After Epstein Texts Exposed: The Backroom Deal That Failed

The Swamp Protected Its Own—And Three Republicans Helped

Two days ago, the House of Representatives faced a decision that should have been straightforward: censure a member of Congress who coordinated with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during an official hearing. The vote failed 209-214, with three Republicans crossing the aisle to protect her.

But here's the twist: according to multiple GOP congresswomen, those Republicans weren't protecting Delegate Stacey Plaskett. They were protecting one of their own from facing similar accountability.

This is what the swamp looks like in action.

What the Epstein Documents Actually Show

Last week, the House Oversight Committee released thousands of pages of documents from Jeffrey Epstein's estate. Buried within them were text messages between Epstein and Delegate Stacey Plaskett from the U.S. Virgin Islands—exchanged during a February 27, 2019 congressional hearing with Michael Cohen.

The Washington Post analyzed the texts and matched them with video footage from the hearing. Here's what happened:

10:02 AM - Epstein texts Plaskett: "Great outfit."
10:22 AM - Epstein texts: "You look great." Plaskett responds: "Thanks."

During the hearing itself, Epstein watches in real time:

2:22 PM - Epstein texts Plaskett about Rona Graff, Trump's longtime executive assistant: "Cohen brought up Rona, keeper of the secrets."
Plaskett responds: "Rona?"
2:25 PM - She adds: "Quick, I'm up next. Is that an acronym?"

2:28 PM - Plaskett begins her questioning. She asks Cohen about Rona Graff—the exact person Epstein just told her to ask about.

2:34 PM - One minute after Plaskett wraps up, Epstein texts: "Good work."

This isn't a constituent providing general information. This is real-time coaching during an official congressional hearing by a convicted sex offender.

The "He Wasn't Under Investigation" Lie

Plaskett's defenders claim it wasn't public knowledge that Epstein was under federal investigation at the time.

Let's be clear about the facts:

Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008—eleven years before this hearing—to solicitation of prostitution from a minor. He was a registered sex offender. He served 13 months in jail. This was public record.

When Plaskett says she didn't know who she was texting with, she's either lying or admitting she never bothered to check the background of someone who owned a private island in her district—an island prosecutors would later describe as central to a sex trafficking operation.

Either way, it doesn't look good.

The Censure Vote: How It Failed

On Tuesday night, Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC) introduced a resolution to censure Plaskett. The resolution would formally reprimand her and remove her from the House Intelligence Committee.

Think about that for a second. Plaskett sits on the Intelligence Committee with access to classified briefings on national security from the FBI, CIA, and NSA. And she coordinated with a sex trafficker during an official hearing.

Norman said on the House floor: "What we learned from the documents released by Jeffrey Epstein's estate is nothing short of alarming. Those documents show that Delegate Stacey Plaskett coordinated her questioning during an official oversight hearing with a man who was a convicted sex offender."

The vote happened Tuesday night. Final tally: 209-214. The censure failed.

Every single Democrat voted against it—no surprise there. But three Republicans voted with Democrats:

• Representative Don Bacon (Nebraska)
• Representative Lance Gooden (Texas)
• Representative Dave Joyce (Ohio)

Three more Republicans voted "present."

Six Republicans who couldn't bring themselves to censure a colleague being coached by Jeffrey Epstein during a congressional hearing.

Why?

The Backroom Deal Exposed

Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) didn't wait long to drop the bombshell. Minutes after the vote failed, she posted on X:

"The Plaskett censure failed because House leadership exchanged that censure failure for the withdrawal of a vote to censure and refer Cory Mills to House ethics for investigation. The swamp protects itself."

She tried to speak on the House floor: "I was wondering if the Speaker of the House can explain why leadership on both sides, both Democrat and Republican, are cutting back room deals to cover up public corruption in the House of Representatives."

Her inquiry was rejected for not following proper protocols. But Representative Lauren Boebert could be heard yelling from the floor: "Get it, girl."

Boebert was furious. She confronted Representative Cory Mills directly and was later heard telling colleagues: "This is why America hates us."

Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN) posted a video: "I am totally disgusted with this bunch of losers." He told Newsmax: "This place isn't a swamp, it's the sewer."

Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) wrote: "Tonight a handful of Republicans took a dive on a vote to strip Stacey Plaskett of her position on House Intel because of her ties to Epstein. They did it to protect a Republican facing his own ethics issues from a similar vote. This backroom deal is swampy, wrong, and always deserves to be called out."

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene laid it all out: "Three Republicans crossed the aisle and voted with Democrats to stop the Plaskett censure resolution in a swap so that Democrats would not bring up the Cory Mills censure resolution."

Who Is Cory Mills—And Why Are Republicans Protecting Him?

Representative Cory Mills (R-FL) has been at the center of multiple controversies:

Dating Violence Injunction: On October 14, 2025, a Florida court issued a final judgment of injunction for protection against dating violence against Mills. His ex-girlfriend accused him of harassment, threatening to release intimate photos and videos, and threatening to harm her future romantic partners.

Stolen Valor Allegations: Mills claims he was awarded a Bronze Star for military service. However, according to reporting from the Daytona Beach News-Journal, two service members dispute that Mills was involved in their rescue or provided life-saving care. Representative Nancy Mace released a transcript of a call with retired Brigadier General Arnold Gordon Bray, who said he did not authorize paperwork for Mills' Bronze Star.

Ethics Violations: The Office of Congressional Conduct found in August 2024 that companies owned by Mills secured nearly $1 million in federal contracts for munitions and weapons while he was serving in Congress—potentially violating House rules, standards of conduct, and federal law.

Assault Report: In February 2025, D.C. police were called to Mills' residence for a report of assault. A 27-year-old woman identified as Mills' significant other accused him of grabbing her, shoving her, and pushing her out the door.

This Is the Third Time Democrats Used Mills to Kill Republican Censures

This pattern isn't new:

September 2025 - Representative LaMonica McIver: Republicans moved to censure McIver (D-NJ) over a confrontation with ICE officers. Democrats threatened to censure Mills. The McIver censure was tabled.

Later in September - Representative Ilhan Omar: Republicans tried to censure Omar for comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Democrats threatened to censure Mills. Mills himself voted against censoring Omar—one of only four Republicans to do so. The Omar censure failed.

This Week - Stacey Plaskett: Republicans tried to censure Plaskett for coordinating with Epstein. Democrats threatened to censure Mills. The Plaskett censure fails.

Three times. Three separate instances where the threat of exposing Cory Mills has been enough to kill accountability measures against Democrats.

Nancy Mace Forces a Vote on Mills

On Wednesday, Representative Nancy Mace introduced a privileged resolution to censure Mills and remove him from both the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees. A privileged resolution means GOP leadership must act on it within two legislative days.

Mace said: "I will not stand by while women risk everything to come forward with credible allegations of abuse and threats. I will not stay silent while a member of Congress may be lining his pockets through federal contracts. And I will not look the other way while allegations of stolen valor—a slap in the face to every veteran who earned their honors through actual service and sacrifice—goes unchecked."

The vote must happen by Friday.

The question is: will enough Republicans actually vote to hold him accountable? Or will leadership find another way to protect him?

Plaskett's Arrogant Defense

Plaskett defended herself on the House floor Tuesday night with stunning arrogance:

"I got a text from Jeffrey Epstein, who at the time was my constituent. It was not public knowledge at that time he was under a federal investigation."

Again—he was a convicted sex offender since 2008. That's public record.

She continued: "I don't need to get advice on how to question anybody from any individual. I have been a lawyer for 30 years. I have been a narcotics prosecutor in New York City. I have had the honor of being a political appointee at the Justice Department after September 11th. I know how to question individuals."

If she knows how to question individuals, why was she texting with Epstein asking "Quick, I'm up next, is that an acronym?" about a name he just gave her?

That doesn't sound like someone who had everything prepared in advance.

Then she had the audacity to turn it around on Republicans: "You want to talk about texting felons? How often do you text President Donald J. Trump?"

That's her defense—comparing the President of the United States to Jeffrey Epstein.

Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who was Plaskett's law professor, jumped in to defend her. He kept calling Epstein "a constituent" and tried to downplay the whole thing as just a lawmaker communicating with someone from her district.

But this isn't about casual communication with a constituent. This is about being coached in real time during a congressional hearing by a convicted sex offender. This is about asking questions he suggested. This is about getting congratulated by him when you're done.

That's called coordination.

The Stunning Hypocrisy: Demanding Epstein Files While Protecting Epstein's Contacts

Here's what makes this story truly infuriating:

The same day as the censure vote, Congress voted 427-1 to force the Department of Justice to release all of its files on Jeffrey Epstein. The Senate passed it unanimously. It's heading to President Trump's desk.

Both parties worked together demanding transparency about Epstein's crimes and connections.

But just hours later, when they had a chance to hold accountable one of their own members who was literally being coached by Epstein during a hearing, they protected her.

The same lawmakers who stood on the House floor demanding the Epstein files be released turned around and voted to protect someone who was texting with him.

And Republicans—some of them anyway—were complicit in that protection because they were more worried about their own guy getting exposed.

This is the swamp. This is why approval ratings for Congress are in the toilet. This is why Americans are fed up with Washington.

The Women Fighting Back

Not all Republicans are going along with this.

Anna Paulina Luna stood on the House floor and demanded answers. She called out leadership on both sides.

Lauren Boebert was yelling at her colleagues, making it clear this was unacceptable.

Kat Cammack called it swampy and said it deserves to be called out.

Nancy Mace is forcing a vote on Mills, refusing to let this slide.

Even Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's had her own battles with Trump lately over the Epstein files, laid out exactly what happened.

These women are not backing down. They're not playing the game. They're demanding accountability even when it's politically inconvenient.

That's what leadership looks like. That's what courage looks like—standing up for what's right even when your own party leadership wants you to sit down and shut up.

Tim Burchett and a few other men are with them too. But it's mostly the women in the Republican Conference showing the spine here.

The Bottom Line

Two days ago, the House of Representatives had a chance to hold someone accountable for coordinating with Jeffrey Epstein during an official congressional hearing. They chose not to.

And according to multiple sources, they made that choice to protect another member facing serious allegations.

This is the swamp. This is corruption in action. Both parties protecting their own instead of doing what's right.

But there are members fighting back. Anna Paulina Luna, Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert, Kat Cammack, Tim Burchett, and others are refusing to play along. They're demanding accountability, they're calling out the backroom deals, and they're not letting this go.

We need more like them. Because if we're ever going to drain this swamp, it's going to take people willing to stand up to their own party leadership and say: Enough.

About O'Connor's Right Stand

John O'Connor is a software programmer by day and conservative truth-seeker by night. His podcast O'Connor's Right Stand delivers deep-dive conservative commentary every Tuesday and Thursday, while O'Connor's Quick Strike provides rapid-fire news analysis every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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• Website: OConnorsRightStand.com
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Sources:

• House Oversight Committee Epstein document release
• Washington Post analysis of Epstein-Plaskett text messages
• Congressional voting records, November 19, 2025
• Social media statements from Representatives Luna, Boebert, Cammack, Greene, Burchett, Mace
• Daytona Beach News-Journal reporting on Cory Mills
• Florida court records
• Office of Congressional Conduct findings

Keywords: Stacey Plaskett, Jeffrey Epstein, House censure vote, Cory Mills, Anna Paulina Luna, Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert, congressional corruption, backroom deals, House Intelligence Committee, stolen valor, ethics violations, Washington swamp, Republican infighting, Democrat protection

Categories: Politics, Congressional Accountability, Republican Party, Democrat Party, Jeffrey Epstein Investigation

Tags: #PlaskettCensure #EpsteinFiles #CongressionalCorruption #DrainTheSwamp #AnnaPaulinaLuna #NancyMace #CoryMills #HouseVote #RepublicanAccountability