Overview
- During a House floor debate over censuring Del. Stacey Plaskett, Rep. Jasmine Crockett alleged several Republicans and GOP groups took money from “somebody named Jeffrey Epstein.”
- Public FEC records show Lee Zeldin’s cited donations came from Dr. Jeffrey Epstein, a New York physician who gave in April and August 2020, well after the convicted financier had died.
- Reviews of the filings indicate other donations Crockett listed—such as to Mitt Romney and the NRCC—were from different individuals named Jeffrey Epstein, including a beverage executive and a stockbroker.
- Crockett later told CNN she “never said it was that Jeffrey Epstein,” saying her team had only minutes and relied on quick searches, while Zeldin urged her to “stop digging” and noted the filings identify the donor as a physician.
- Reporters also highlighted troll entries in WinRed filings using the name “Jeffrey Epstein” with “CHILD MOLESTOR” listed as occupation, and, separately, Congress advanced transparency efforts as the House passed an Epstein-files bill 427–1 and President Trump signed it.