I’ve never been a huge fan of the ‘4D chess’ narrative from the pro-Trump folks. Especially not in his first term, where the political neophyte was too-obviously learning by doing. Mostly the hard way. But the second-term Trump is a wilier political animal who’s clearly learned how to beat the Swamp at its own game.
Case in point, the recently released trove of documents from the estate of convicted sex predator and trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein. In their giddy excitement of the first few days, the legacy media tried to manufacture a misleading narrative. Especially by honing in on (and strategically redacting) a reference to Trump spending several hours at Epstein’s house with one of his stable of underage totty.
Except that, as it turns out, the redacted name was the late Virginia Giuffre: who testified numerous times, under oath, that Trump was “friendly” to her, he “didn’t partake in any sex with any of us”. Giuffre did name a roster of Democrats and their celebrity supporters as prolific abusers.
The documents also, as it happens, revealed that Epstein hated Trump.
‘Notorious paedophile sex trafficker hated Donald Trump’ hardly seems the ‘gotcha’ the Democrats and the legacy media were trying to paint it as.
But now the gotcha has been got – and it hasn’t gotten Trump. Instead, surprise, surprise, it’s the Democrats again. This time, colluding with the convicted predator during congressional hearings designed to ‘get Trump’.
The newly released documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate show that the convicted sex offender texted with a Democratic member of Congress, Del Stacey Plaskett of the US Virgin Islands, during a congressional hearing with Michael Cohen, and that those text messages may have influenced the congresswoman’s questions of Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and fixer.
In the texts, Epstein appeared to be watching the February 2019 hearing in real time and at one point informed Plaskett – whose name is redacted from the documents – that Cohen had brought up former Trump executive assistant Rhona Graff in his testimony. At the time, Cohen was testifying before the House Oversight Committee against his former boss, alleging that Trump was racist, manipulated financial records and directed hush money payments to cover up his extramarital affairs – allegations Trump denied. The president said on social media that Cohen was “lying” before testimony began.
In an extraordinary video, the WaPo has synced the timestamps of messages between Epstein and Plaskett with video of the hearings. Plaskett can be seen repeatedly looking down at her phone and texting, at the same time the timestamped messages show the two communicating.
In other words, Epstein was colluding in real-time with the Democrats.
The messages show that Plaskett texted Epstein before the hearing started that day, at 7:55 a.m. Eastern time, to tell him: “He’ll talk about his grades.”
Epstein replied a minute later: “what privilege stands behind the none release of college transcripts?”
At 10:02 a.m., Epstein texted Plaskett: “Great outfit”
“You look great,” he added at 10:22 a.m. “Thanks!” she replied shortly afterward.
At around 10:40 a.m., a broadcast feed cut to Plaskett, showing her moving her mouth as if she were chewing something.
At 10:41 a.m., Epstein sent this message to Plaskett: “Are you chewing.”
“Not any more,” she replied. “Chewing interior of my mouth. Bad habit from middle school” […]
The “Quick I’m up next” text to Epstein was sent at 2:25 p.m., minutes before Plaskett began questioning Cohen at 2:28 p.m. Epstein messaged back “Good work” at 2:34 p.m., one minute after Plaskett finished her questioning of Cohen.
The messages show that Epstein was feeding Plaskett questions. For instance, after Epstein told her to ask about “RONA”, Plaskett asked, “Is Ms Rhona, what is Ms Rhona’s–?” Cohen replied that, “Rhona Graff is the – Mr Trump’s executive assistant.”
Plaskett is dodging media queries, with her office stating only that, “During the hearing, Congresswoman Plaskett received texts from staff, constituents and the public at large offering advice, support and in some cases partisan vitriol, including from Epstein.” Plaskett’s office also claimed that she had made clear her “long record” of “disgust over Epstein’s deviant behavior”.
Yet, here she was, eagerly swapping info with him, right in the middle of congressional hearings. This was, remember, a decade after he’d been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. And just months after the Miami Herald blew the lid on Epstein’s serial sex abuse and the shocking plea deal that saw him slapped with the lightest sentence imaginable.
But why this apparently minor Democrat rep from the Virgin Islands? Because that’s where his child-rape island was.
In 2023, six Epstein accusers sued government officials from the US Virgin Islands, including Plaskett, alleging that they helped and benefited from Epstein’s sex-trafficking enterprise in the US territory. The lawsuit against Plaskett was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice earlier this year.
In the motion to dismiss the lawsuit that was filed in July 2024, Plaskett’s lawyer wrote, “Epstein’s notorious crimes were reprehensible, and many women unquestionably suffered at his hands. Congresswoman Plaskett learned of Epstein’s crimes simultaneously with the rest of the country, when news of his arrest broke.”
And yet, still she happily colluded with him.
