Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) was pressed by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown on Wednesday over her text exchanges with Jeffrey Epstein during a Congressional hearing where Michael Cohen testified. Plaskett, who represents the Islands in Congress, declined to directly answer if she regretted her association with Virgin Islands “constituent” Jeffrey Epstein.

PAMALA BROWN, CNN: All right. Well, we are just learning that the Senate has now sent over that legislation on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files over to the President’s desk. We’re monitoring that. Also, you have, you know, this ongoing Epstein saga, Wolf. WOLF BLITZER, CNN: And there’s a lot of drama still unfolding. The Epstein saga hasn’t been without controversy for Democrats as well. The House last night narrowly rejected a Republican effort to censure our next guest, Democratic Delegate Stacey Plaskett, over text she exchanged with Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing with President Trump’s Former Attorney Michael Cohen. Three Republicans joined all Democrats to defeat the effort to remove her from the House Intelligence Committee with another three voting present. Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands is joining us right now. You’re a delegate, a non-voting delegate right now. DEL. STACEY PLASKETT (D), VIRGIN ISLANDS: Yes. BLITZER: Tell us a little bit about your reaction to all these late developments. PLASKETT: Well, you know, first I want to thank the Democrats, the Democratic caucus, not only for voting with me, but for speaking on my behalf during the general debate. As well as those members in the Republican Party who voted with the Democrats and those who tacitly voted with us by either voting present or not voting at all during the censure. And I’m hopeful that we can now get back to the work that we do in Congress rather than the political theater that has been happening. The files have been released, which I have been in favor of all along. And let’s let the victims get their justice. And let us get to the work of Congress. We’ve been on over a 70-day paid time off. Democrats have been doing town halls, coming back to Congress. Republicans have been nowhere in sight. And the people of this country are in need of our support and of the work that needs to be done. BLITZER: We know that Epstein had what, property in the Virgin Islands, right? PLASKETT: Yes. BLITZER: What was your relationship with Epstein? PLASKETT: So Jeffrey Epstein was a constituent. He was a resident of the Virgin Islands. Lived there, I guess, more than half of the year because he was registered there. I had received donations from him after his — the last investigation came out, which was after this texting. I gave any donations that I previously received from him to women’s organizations and did not have any contact with him. But like many constituents, individuals get your phone number. They text you about issues. They speak with you. I have spoken with him about issues that are relevant, things that are going on in the Virgin Islands and elsewhere around the country. BROWN: Right. But on that day that we’re talking about, you initiated the text exchange at 7:55 in the morning. So why were you even texting with Epstein at the time? He was a known sex offender then. PLASKETT: Sure. You know, I explain to people I’m a — I’ve been a prosecutor for many years. And there are a lot of people who have information that are not your friends that you use to get information for to get at the truth. This was seven years ago. And people need to understand this was a huge hearing that was taking place with Michael Cohen finally coming forward to talk about monies that he had with the hush money, potential hush money, that had been paid to Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about the allegations against Trump. We were entering a hearing. Lots of people were texting me. Lots of people were giving me information. And I find it really interesting and almost rich that the Washington Post took 30 seconds one set of question line that I did and say that Epstein was directing you as to what to question Michael Cohen. I have five minutes of questioning. I had a lot of questions, 20 years of experience that I had at the time, along with other information I was getting from many sources about issues that should have been raised. And I also want to say that the issues that I raised in that hearing related to individuals who were closest to the President and who could know about money has never been looked into. BROWN: Right. And we have the full transcript right here. But, you know, no doubt you have an impressive resume, right. You’re a former federal prosecutor. You were an impeachment manager. But yes or no, if Epstein had not brought up Rhona to you in that text, would you have asked Michael Cohen about her independently? PLASKETT: Probably not. I asked about three other individuals as well. Everyone knew — other people knew that this woman had been the President’s assistant. I talked about other individuals who were also close to him that other people had given me information about that I’d found other information about. And there were other issues that I talked with him about as well, Michael Cohen, that I brought up during that time. BROWN: Right. PLASKETT: So as a prosecutor, as an investigator, you glean information, get information where you can. Some of it is relevant, some of it is not, and you put it all together and you ask the questions. BROWN: And I understand you’re saying, look, he was a constituent, right? And whether or not they’re good or bad, you’re just trying to get information to get to the truth. But at this time, this was happening after he had already pleaded guilty to state prostitution charges. And then there was that Miami Herald article that came out in 2018 — PLASKETT: Sure. BROWN: — detailing how widespread the sexual abuse was, interviewing 80 women who said that he sexually abused her. So — abuse them, I should say. So I’m wondering, as you look back, do you think that it was an error in judgment to be communicating with him at all? Do you have any regrets? PLASKETT: Well, listen, I think Jeffrey Epstein is a reprehensible person. Absolutely disgusting. I live in a house, lived in a house during childhood with a mother who had been sexually abused by her dad. And I know the effect that that had on her as well as us as her family. 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 going to 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. And I think that that’s what, we, as American people, should do, is move forward. 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: Wait, let me just better understand that. What is that point, because at the time he was a known sex offender and it had been detailed all the sexual abuse. PLASKETT: 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. 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 did. BROWN: So no regrets, basically, is what you’re saying. PLASKETT: I’m moving forward. BLITZER: Before I let you go, Congresswoman, and I call you Congresswoman, you’re a non-voting delegate, but — PLASKETT: Well, limited voting. BLITZER: — you’re in Congress. PLASKETT: We vote in committee, vote on amendments on the floor — BLITZER: All right. PLASKETT: — but not in full vote. BLITZER: That’s why I call you Congresswoman. PLASKETT: Thank you. BLITZER: Congresswoman, let’s talk a little bit about this visit by Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince. You’re on the Intelligence Committee, you’re well informed. Yesterday, President Trump was strongly defending him in the Oval Office as far as the murder of the Washington Post Columnist Jamal Khashoggi. And he was saying basically he knew nothing about this, the murder or anything. Even though the CIA had reported at the time that there was strong evidence that the Crown Prince personally ordered the murder of this journalist. What’s your reaction? PLASKETT: Well, my reaction is that the President that we have in office right now is more interested in financial gain and pecuniary interests than he is in other things, whether that be Americans continuing to have the moral high ground or us, you know, engaging in the manner that we should. Should he meet with this world leader? Yes. Should he be fetting him or giving him a pass on past transgressions? I believe not. BROWN: All right. Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett, thank you so much for coming on. PLASKETT: Thank you. BROWN: We really appreciate your time. PLASKETT: Thank you. BLITZER: And we love the Virgin Islands. PLASKETT: Thank you.

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