REP. RALPH NORMAN: Double Standards Don’t Serve The Republic

In recent weeks, the American people have witnessed the grotesque misconduct of the United States House of Representatives come to light.

Documents released as part of the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing investigation show that Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands texted Jeffrey Epstein, a man who was already a convicted sex offender and widely known to be under scrutiny by the Department of Justice, during a congressional hearing. She did not deny it. She not only admitted it. She embraced it.

Del. Plaskett wasn’t simply exchanging pleasantries. The former prosecutor herself sought and received guidance from Epstein while performing her congressional duties, then later claimed she “didn’t know” about his criminal history or the continued federal interest in him. That explanation cannot withstand even minimal scrutiny. By that point, every American with a newspaper, radio, or television knew exactly who Epstein was and what he had done.

Yet Democrats brushed the whole affair aside, describing it as nothing more than “taking a call from a constituent.” That excuse insults the intelligence of the American people. Epstein was rather better known as a pedophile whose name had been in national headlines for years.

This is not a complicated matter.

A sitting member of Congress colluded with a convicted sex offender during official oversight work. There is no ambiguity. The conduct is documented and acknowledged, and reflects discredit on the U.S. House of Representatives.

That is exactly why I introduced a resolution to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett and remove her from the House Intelligence Committee — the evidence was damning. The only remaining question was whether the House believed such behavior was acceptable.

Democrats responded by accusing Republicans of denying her “due process,” claiming an investigation should come first. But you cannot claim due process is lacking when the relevant facts are not contested. The Democrat argument was not about process but about avoiding accountability.