Democratic congresswoman targeted Jeffrey Epstein for cash despite conviction: report

When Democratic Rep. Stacey Plaskett was running for reelection in Congress back in 2018, she was tasked to fundraise for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee with a goal of at least $250,000. When Plaskett referred to her donor list, one of the names on it was Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new report from Insider.

Epstein owned two islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Plaskett is from, and she wanted him to donate $30,000 to the DCCC, which is the maximum for any individual. But Insider points out, getting the donation would be complicated since Epstein was a convicted sex offender.

But Plaskett wanted to hit her $250,000 goal. "After all, Plaskett had taken Epstein's money before, for her own campaign," Insider's report stated.

On July 12 of 2018, Plaskett sent an email to Epstein's assistant Lesley Groff, saying she would be "grateful" if he attended a fundraiser for her campaign.

Epstein continued to communicate with Plaskett's campaign. He was invited to two dinners on St. Thomas and St. Croix, the two main islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Then in the fall 2018, Plaskett visited Epstein at his Manhattan mansion, where he committed to giving the full $30,000.

The DCCC ended up rejecting the donation because he didn't pass its vetting.

Just months after Plaskett's reelection, Epstein was indicted for sex trafficking. He committed suicide in jail in 2019.

According to Federal Election Commission records, Epstein donated $5,400 to Plaskett's campaigns in the 2016 campaign cycle, which his financial support for her stretching all the way back to 2014.

Read the full report over at Insider.