(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Controversial Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., had to eat his own words Monday when confronted about his bizarre defense of embattled Del. Stacey Plaskett, who took cues from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing.
Raskin appeared on CNN’s Situation Room with host Pamela Brown, who replayed his remarks dismissing Plaskett’s text exchange as nothing more than speaking with a constituent.
“Are Democrats losing the moral high ground on the Epstein issue by defending her, as you have?” Brown asked.
Raskin immediately pivoted in response, comparing Plaskett’s actions to Republicans’ interactions with President Donald Trump.
“Of course, our Republican colleagues engage in text exchanges all the time with Donald Trump, who has 34 felony criminal offenses to his name,” he said. “So, I don’t know exactly what she’s being charged with there.”
Jamie Raskin gets CALLED OUT by CNN for defending Stacey Plaskett texting with Epstein during a 2019 hearing.
RASKIN: "However ill-advised it may have been, she took a phone call from one of her constituents."
CNN: "To be clear, [Plaskett] initiated the text exchange." pic.twitter.com/P8Hk0Xb5wf
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 24, 2025
The comments come after House Republicans failed to pass a censure resolution against Plaskett following the texting scandal.
Newly released Epstein documents revealed a text in which Epstein seemingly influenced her line of questioning while Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney, testified before Congress in 2019.
“My point was simply, she had not violated the Constitution,” Raskin added. “She had not violated federal law, and she had not violated, to my knowledge, any rule of the House of Representatives.”
Brown appeared to nod, allowing Raskin to continue uninterrupted. He added:
“We’re not afraid of anything that’s in the Epstein files, and we want to see justice done for the survivors. That’s what this is about. We want to see the truth come out. And it’s the Republicans who are running around trying to figure out who’s in there and who’s going to be implicated. And that’s not our approach to it. But Stacey Plaskett obviously didn’t violate any law, nor did they even allege that she violated a rule of the House of Representatives. What rule did she violate? People text and email and call us all the time. I mean, do I have anything to do with Jeffrey Epstein? No. It’s unfortunate that he’s got some people’s phone numbers, but he’s no longer with us. The point now is, can we do justice for the victims and survivors of this nightmare.”
Watch the full interview below:
