Jasmine Crockett addressed claims that she inaccurately alleged a Republican had received funds from Jeffrey Epstein, explaining her research was conducted hastily. The Texas Democrat stood by her colleague Stacey Plaskett, who faced criticism for communicating with the billionaire. In her defense, Crockett cited several Republicans, including Mitt Romney, George Bush, the 2008 McCain/Palin campaign, and Lee Zeldin, the current head of the Environmental Protection Agency, as recipients of donations from someone named Jeffrey Epstein. Zeldin, a former Congressman and New York gubernatorial candidate, was quick to respond.

“Yes Crockett, a physician named Dr. Jeffrey Epstein (who is completely unrelated to the other Jeffrey Epstein) contributed to one of my past campaigns. No connection whatsoever, you genius!” Zeldin clarified. Federal Election Commission records indicate that the donor Jeffrey Epstein is a doctor based on Long Island. Crockett was questioned by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on the rationale behind linking Zeldin to the convicted sex trafficker. Crockett insisted, “I never claimed it was that Jeffrey Epstein. Since this was sprung on us unexpectedly, I wanted Republicans to contemplate the potential implications, knowing they hadn’t thoroughly checked through the FEC,” she explained, citing the limited 20-minute timeframe she had to defend Plaskett, who was facing a House censure.

Crockett elaborated, “My team conducted a quick Google search, which is why I specified ‘a Jeffrey Epstein.’ Unlike Republicans, I don’t deliberately spread falsehoods. Yes, it wasn’t the same individual, but Zeldin could have simply clarified it was a different Jeffrey Epstein.” She defended her approach by confirming Zeldin’s acknowledgment of receiving money from the other Epstein, yet continued to express skepticism. “I haven’t delved into who this doctor is, but I’ll take Zeldin’s word for it not being that Jeffrey Epstein. My intention wasn’t to mislead anyone.” Collins challenged Crockett, suggesting it was a weak attempt to link officials to a known sexual offender. Crockett maintained, “Within 20 minutes, a quick FEC search wouldn’t have sufficed. I ensured clarity by saying ‘a Jeffrey Epstein,’ never definitively claiming it was that Jeffrey Epstein, aware that more time would be needed for thorough investigation.”

Zeldin dropped a hammer on Crockett, revealing that the information on the donation was public and it happened after the infamous Epstein killed himself in prison in 2019. ‘When you find yourself in a hole, it’s best to stop digging. The public FEC report Crockett referenced on the House floor very clearly states that the Jeffrey Epstein who donated to my past campaign was a physician, and the donation date was well AFTER the other Jeffrey Epstein WAS ALREADY DEAD!!!’ On Wednesday, a day after Plaskett narrowly avoided being censured over the exchange, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown wasted no time in pressing her about the texts. Plaskett avoided the censure because Democrats like Crockett refused to turn on the delegate to the Virgin Islands. Brown pointed out that Epstein was already a ‘known sexual offender’ when the delegate communicated with him.

Plaskett, 59, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said she had ‘lots of people’ texting her that day and that she had been chatting with Epstein , one of her constituents, to obtain information. She denied that Epstein had been ‘directing’ her about what to say at the hearing, despite texts showing he alerted her about one of Trump’s former executive assistants. Brown asked whether Plaskett would have still asked Cohen about the executive assistant if it weren’t for Epstein’s texts. 

‘Probably not,’ Plaskett conceded, before being asked by Brown if she had ‘any regrets’ about the correspondence given Epstein’s known sexual abuse. ‘Well, listen, I think Jeffrey Epstein is a reprehensible person. Absolutely disgusting. I lived in a house during childhood with a mother who had been sexually abused by her dad. And I know the effect that had on her, as well as us as her family,’ Plaskett replied. ‘And so I understand what the victims are going through, and I want them to get their relevant – their justice, their peace out of this.

‘I believe that Jeffrey Epstein had information, and I was gonna get information to get at the truth. Having a friendship with him is not something that I would deem to have. ‘And so I’m just looking forward – I’m moving forward,’ she maintained, before urging the ‘American people’ to do the same. ‘If individuals are not involved in illegal activity, extending his criminal enterprise or his financial enterprise or all of those things, I think that we need to look at what people are doing moving forward.’ Brown stopped to again emphasize that many of Epstein’s crimes were already public, as he had already pleaded guilty to state prostitution charges in 2008 and was facing accusations from dozens of other women. ‘There are a lot of people who have done a lot of crimes, and as a prosecutor, you get information from people where you can,’ Plaskett responded. ‘I’ve interviewed confidential informants, I’ve interviewed narcotics, drug traffickers and others, and that doesn’t mean that I’m their friend. ‘That doesn’t mean that they are friendly with me. It means that they have information that I need and that I’m trying to get at the truth, and that’s what I do.’

Brown again asked if Plaskett regretted the decision. ‘So no regrets, basically, is what you’re saying?’ the co-host asked. ‘I’m moving forward,’ Plaskett replied. At the time of the messages, Epstein was a resident of the Virgin Islands. The Washington Post uncovered that the pair had texted after her name was initially redacted from the emails. Her office confirmed their report. The delegate avoided censure Tuesday after the House voted 214-209 against formally reprimanding her over the texts. Months after the Cohen hearing, in August 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.