Newly released documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate show that the convicted sex offender exchanged text messages with a Democratic member of Congress during Michael Cohen’s February 2019 testimony, and that those messages may have influenced the congresswoman’s questioning of Cohen. The documents, published Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee, include copies of Epstein’s digital communications, emails, and text messages, The Washington Post
reported.
In the texts, Epstein appeared to be watching the hearing in real time and notified the congresswoman — whose name was redacted in the documents — that Cohen had mentioned former Trump executive assistant Rhona Graff during his testimony.
At the time, Cohen was accusing Trump of racism, financial manipulation, and authorizing hush-money payments, allegations Trump denied.
Epstein texted, “Cohen brought up RONA – keeper of the secrets,” misspelling Graff’s name.
“RONA??” the lawmaker replied. “Quick I’m up next is that an acronym,” she wrote, indicating she was moments away from questioning Cohen.
The timestamps on the messages matched the live hearing feed, and the content indicated that the texting partner was Del. Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands, who served as a member of the House Oversight Committee.
Plaskett declined to answer questions when reached by phone Thursday and referred inquiries to her staff.
Her chief of staff, Angeline Jabbar, said she was “not in a position to confirm or not” whether Plaskett was texting with Epstein and did not respond to follow-up questions.
After the story was published Friday evening, Plaskett’s office issued a statement acknowledging she received messages from Epstein during the hearing.
“During the hearing, Congresswoman Plaskett received texts from staff, constituents and the public at large offering advice, support and in some cases partisan vitriol, including from Epstein,” the statement said.
It added that Plaskett “welcomes information that helps her get at the truth” and highlighted her record of combating sexual assault and human trafficking.
The documents show Epstein messaged Plaskett before the hearing began.
At 7:55 a.m. Eastern time, Plaskett texted Epstein, “He’ll talk about his grades.”
Epstein replied one minute later, “what privilege stands behind the none release of college transcripts?”
Throughout the morning, Epstein continued messaging Plaskett.
At 10:02 a.m., he texted, “Great outfit.”
At 10:22 a.m., he added, “You look great,” to which she replied, “Thanks!”
At approximately 10:40 a.m., the broadcast showed Plaskett moving her mouth as though chewing something.
At 10:41 a.m., Epstein texted, “Are you chewing.”
Plaskett responded, “Not any more. Chewing interior of my mouth. Bad habit from middle school.”
The messages continued throughout the hearing.
At 12:50 p.m., Epstein asked, “How much longer for you.”
“Hours. Go to other mtgs,” Plaskett replied.
Other messages indicate Epstein was offering input on lines of questioning.
At 12:25 p.m., Epstein wrote, “Hes opened the door to questions re who are the other henchmen at trump org.”
“Yup. Very aware and waiting my turn,” Plaskett responded.
When Plaskett questioned Cohen at 2:28 p.m., she asked about Trump associates Cohen had mentioned.
“So Allen Weisselberg is the chief financial officer in The Trump Organization,” Cohen began.
“You’ve got to quickly give us as many names as you can so we can get to them,” she interjected.
Plaskett’s line of questioning then turned to Graff, just as Epstein had flagged.
“Is Ms. Rhona, what is Ms. Rhona’s— …?” she asked.
Cohen replied, “Rhona Graff is the — Mr. Trump’s executive assistant … She was — her office is directly next to his, and she’s involved in a lot that went on.”
Epstein would not be charged with federal sex-trafficking crimes until July 2019, several months after the Cohen hearing, but he was already a known convicted sex offender following his 2008 plea agreement in Florida.
Lots of pet owners will tell you that their furry friend, whether a cat, dog, or another animal, can pick up on certain things humans can’t. For some reason, pets have a sixth sense of sorts where they can tell whenever our energy is off — even if it’s so subtle that we don’t notice it ourselves. This was exactly the case with Alhanna Butler and her dog Keola.
Alhanna and her fiance, Ricky, were over the moon when they learned she was pregnant. But when she was four months along with their child, Keola began acting strange and constantly pawing at Alhanna’s belly.
Alhanna ignored her pup’s behavior at first until she realized the terrifying reason behind her actions.
Alhanna and Ricky Were Dreaming of Being Parents
In the eighteenth week of her pregnancy, however, Alhanna suddenly developed a sharp pain in her back. It was so strong that she could barely walk. Worried over what this could mean for their unborn child, Ricky rushed her to the hospital.
Oddly, the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong. They told Alhanna she was suffering back pain because the weight of the baby was putting stress on her body. Alhanna believed them, and she went home.
As soon as Alhanna returned home, she logged in to Facebook and told her friends about her situation. Almost immediately, they told her to listen to Keola’s instincts. Even though the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong, the dog was likely sensing a very real problem.
Alhanna’s mother finally persuaded her to go to the doctor for more tests. She was certain Keola’s behavior wasn’t a coincidence. Sure enough, after a series of examinations, Alhanna found out she had a double kidney infection—and she was actually close to death!
Alhanna was immediately placed on a serious antibiotic regimen, and she received all the proper care she needed to reverse her kidney damage. A few weeks after her treatment ended, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Lincoln!
As soon as Alhanna brought her new son home from the hospital, Keola was instantly smitten with her new human friend. It was almost as if she knew how close Lincoln and his mother were to danger the whole time.Now, Keola spends as much time as she can with her new little brother! Even though she’s a big and powerful animal, she knows exactly how to be gentle when she spends time cuddling up with Lincoln.
“Sit down, Barbie—you’re not fit to be a role model for troubled high schoolers, let alone for America.”Karoline Leavitt Goes After Robert De Niro On Live TV — But One Calm Sentence Flips the Entire Room Against Her
He came to confront a generation he said was drowning in self-delusion. She came to mock a man she believed had outlived his era. But what started as a typical culture clash spiraled into one of the most unexpected reversals live television has seen in years.
Karoline Leavitt thought she had the upper hand. The segment was hers to dominate. Robert De Niro was simply the veteran voice in the room—until one sentence from him punctured the entire performance. And when it landed, even the producers didn’t know how to salvage the moment. The silence that followed was not part of the script.
NEW YORK CITY | July 13, 2025
It was billed as a generational town hall: “Truth in the Age of Rage.”
Robert De Niro, Oscar-winner and political firebrand, was seated at the far end of the table—lean, quiet, waiting. Across from him sat Karoline Leavitt, the rising conservative pundit and former Trump aide, now armed with social media virality and a sharp tongue.
The topic? Political cynicism and America’s next chapter.
Leavitt entered fast, cutting, dressed in hot pink and armed with rehearsed one-liners. Five minutes in, she launched her opener—meant to humiliate:
“Sit down, Barbie—you’re not fit to be a role model for troubled high schoolers, let alone for America.”
The audience reacted—laughter, gasps, then silence.
Robert De Niro didn’t move.
He waited.
Then, he said it:
“I’ve buried friends who fought for this country so people like you could speak freely. But not once did I mistake that freedom for wisdom.”
The room dropped.
The Moment Karoline Realized the Room Had Shifted
Leavitt blinked. Then smiled. Tried to pivot. But the smirk had worn thin.
De Niro leaned in:
“You parade grief like wardrobe changes. Floods in Texas, fires in California, veterans on the street—you don’t carry these stories. You decorate yourself with them.”
The moderator froze.
Leavitt opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of shifting chairs from the studio audience drowned her out.
Then came the final blow:
“You want to be a role model? Start by not turning other people’s pain into your stage lighting.”
Social Media Didn’t Just Explode — It Mutinied
Clips spread across platforms within minutes.
“Robert De Niro just destroyed an entire influencer campaign in 15 seconds.”“He didn’t raise his voice. He raised the bar.”“Karoline rehearsed a takedown. He delivered an autopsy.”
By noon, Karoline was trending alongside #DeNiroSilence, #BarbieSpeechless, and #MicDrop2025.
The full exchange, unedited, hit 20 million views in under eight hours.
The Cameras Didn’t Cut Because of De Niro — They Cut to Protect Karoline
Behind the scenes, chaos. According to two producers on set, Leavitt’s team signaled for a commercial break that never came.
“She froze. Not in a theatrical way. In a human way,” said one audio tech. “They didn’t know what to do.”
The control room made a call: fade out early. By the time they returned, Leavitt was gone. The moderator apologized vaguely, citing “technical rotation.”
But the internet had already decided: she didn’t leave. She fled.
A Reputation Shattered in Real Time
Karoline Leavitt had built a brand on being unfazed, unfiltered, and unbeatable in the soundbite arena. She turned debates into battles, panels into performances. But this wasn’t a performance. Not for De Niro.
Because De Niro didn’t treat her like a pundit. He treated her like a symptom.
And in doing so, he revealed the performance for what it was.
One media analyst wrote:
“It was the first time Gen Z political theater collided with someone who’d already buried the act.”
What Karoline Said Next Only Made It Worse
Hours later, she posted:
“It’s funny how Hollywood thinks lecturing Americans is noble. I’d rather be called Barbie than play pretend.”
But the damage was done. The comments filled with side-by-sides of her posing at disaster zones versus De Niro at Ground Zero.
One reply went viral:
“One of you visited suffering. The other never left it.”
The Truth That Stuck
The moment reminded viewers of something they hadn’t seen in a while: consequences.
Not from cancellation. Not from controversy.
From contrast.
De Niro didn’t humiliate her. He exposed the gap between presence and purpose.
And the silence? That wasn’t technical.
It was moral.