Republicans fail in vote to oust STACEY PLASKETT from House intel over EPSTEIN texts

Wednesday, November 19, 2025-House Republicans failed in their bid to censure Delegate Stacey Plaskett and remove her from the powerful House Intelligence Committee, after a resolution tied her to newly revealed text messages with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing. The vote was tight — 214–209 against the motion.

The resolution, introduced by Rep. Ralph Norman, accused Plaskett of “inappropriate coordination” with Epstein, citing texts that allegedly guided her line of questioning during the hearing. 

Plaskett defended herself on the House floor, arguing that Epstein was her constituent at the time and that her contact with him was limited to information-gathering rather than collusion.

The failure of the resolution highlights deep fractures within the Republican Party: three GOP members broke ranks and voted against the censure, while another three voted “present.” Critics say the move was politically motivated, while Plaskett and her allies argue it was a coordinated attack rather than a genuine concern about ethics.