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House Defeats GOP Censure Bid to Oust Plaskett Over Epstein Texts

The vote keeps the Virgin Islands delegate on the Intelligence Committee following disclosures that she exchanged messages with Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 hearing.

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WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 16: Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) speaks during a mark up meeting with the House Budget Committee on Capitol Hill on May 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. Members of the Budget Committee met to consider House Republicans’ reconciliation bill, which includes U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed tax and spending cuts. The bill faced bipartisan opposition, with five Republican members of the House Budget Committee voting against it and supporting a motion for the committee to recess for the weekend. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Del. Stacey Plaskett, seen here at a hearing in 2023, escaped a rebuke by the House on Tuesday night.
Representative Stacey Plaskett.

Overview

  • Lawmakers voted 209–214 against censuring Del. Stacey Plaskett, with three Republicans opposing and three others voting present, so she retains her Intelligence Committee seat.
  • An earlier Democratic motion to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee failed in a 213–214 vote, allowing a floor vote on the censure that ultimately failed.
  • The push followed the Oversight Committee’s release of roughly 23,000 pages from Epstein’s estate that include real-time texts during Michael Cohen’s 2019 testimony, with Epstein suggesting questions and later texting “Good work.”
  • Plaskett said she received messages from staff, constituents and the public, characterized Epstein as a constituent at the time, and noted she redirected prior Epstein donations to women’s health organizations in the Virgin Islands.
  • The resolution by Rep. Ralph Norman sought censure, removal from the Intelligence Committee, and an Ethics probe into her ties, reflecting a wider partisan clash over how to use the Epstein materials.