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Newly released documents from Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s estate show that the convicted sex offender exchanged text messages with a Democratic member of Congress during Michael Cohen\u2019s February 2019 testimony, and that those messages may have influenced the congresswoman\u2019s questioning of Cohen. The documents, published Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee, include copies of Epstein\u2019s digital communications, emails, and text messages, The Washington Post\u00a0<\/p>\n
reported.<\/p>\n
In the texts, Epstein appeared to be watching the hearing in real time and notified the congresswoman \u2014 whose name was redacted in the documents \u2014 that Cohen had mentioned former Trump executive assistant Rhona Graff during his testimony.<\/p>\n
At the time, Cohen was accusing Trump of racism, financial manipulation, and authorizing hush-money payments, allegations Trump denied.<\/p>\n
Epstein texted, \u201cCohen brought up RONA \u2013 keeper of the secrets,\u201d misspelling Graff\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
\u201cRONA??\u201d the lawmaker replied. \u201cQuick I\u2019m up next is that an acronym,\u201d she wrote, indicating she was moments away from questioning Cohen.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Plaskett declined to answer questions when reached by phone Thursday and referred inquiries to her staff.<\/p>\n
Her chief of staff, Angeline Jabbar, said she was \u201cnot in a position to confirm or not\u201d whether Plaskett was texting with Epstein and did not respond to follow-up questions.<\/p>\n
After the story was published Friday evening, Plaskett\u2019s office issued a statement acknowledging she received messages from Epstein during the hearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring 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,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
It added that Plaskett \u201cwelcomes information that helps her get at the truth\u201d and highlighted her record of combating sexual assault and human trafficking.<\/p>\n
The documents show Epstein messaged Plaskett before the hearing began.<\/p>\n
At 7:55 a.m. Eastern time, Plaskett texted Epstein, \u201cHe\u2019ll talk about his grades.\u201d<\/p>\n
Epstein replied one minute later, \u201cwhat privilege stands behind the none release of college transcripts?\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout the morning, Epstein continued messaging Plaskett.<\/p>\n
At 10:02 a.m., he texted, \u201cGreat outfit.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 10:22 a.m., he added, \u201cYou look great,\u201d to which she replied, \u201cThanks!\u201d<\/p>\n
At approximately 10:40 a.m., the broadcast showed Plaskett moving her mouth as though chewing something.<\/p>\n
At 10:41 a.m., Epstein texted, \u201cAre you chewing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plaskett responded, \u201cNot any more. Chewing interior of my mouth. Bad habit from middle school.\u201d<\/p>\n
The messages continued throughout the hearing.<\/p>\n
At 12:50 p.m., Epstein asked, \u201cHow much longer for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHours. Go to other mtgs,\u201d Plaskett replied.<\/p>\n
Other messages indicate Epstein was offering input on lines of questioning.<\/p>\n
At 12:25 p.m., Epstein wrote, \u201cHes opened the door to questions re who are the other henchmen at trump org.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYup. Very aware and waiting my turn,\u201d Plaskett responded.<\/p>\n
When Plaskett questioned Cohen at 2:28 p.m., she asked about Trump associates Cohen had mentioned.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Allen Weisselberg is the chief financial officer in The Trump Organization,\u201d Cohen began.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to quickly give us as many names as you can so we can get to them,\u201d she interjected.<\/p>\n
Plaskett\u2019s line of questioning then turned to Graff, just as Epstein had flagged.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Ms. Rhona, what is Ms. Rhona\u2019s\u2014 \u2026?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Cohen replied, \u201cRhona Graff is the \u2014 Mr. Trump\u2019s executive assistant \u2026 She was \u2014 her office is directly next to his, and she\u2019s involved in a lot that went on.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Lots of pet owners<\/strong>\u00a0will tell you that their furry friend, whether a cat, dog, or another animal, can pick up on certain things humans can\u2019t. For some reason, pets have a sixth sense of sorts where they can tell whenever our energy is off \u2014 even if it\u2019s so subtle that we don\u2019t notice it ourselves. This was exactly the case with Alhanna Butler and her dog Keola.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s belly.<\/p>\n Alhanna ignored her pup\u2019s behavior at first until she realized the terrifying reason behind her actions.<\/p>\n Alhanna and Ricky Were Dreaming of Being Parents<\/strong><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Oddly, the doctors couldn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s instincts. Even though the doctors couldn\u2019t find anything wrong, the dog was likely sensing a very real problem.<\/p>\n Alhanna\u2019s mother finally persuaded her to go to the doctor for more tests. She was certain Keola\u2019s behavior wasn\u2019t a coincidence. Sure enough, after a series of examinations, Alhanna found out she had a double kidney infection\u2014and she was actually close to death!<\/p>\n 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!<\/p>\n 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\u2019s a big and powerful animal, she knows exactly how to be gentle when she spends time cuddling up with Lincoln.<\/p>\n \u201cSit down, Barbie\u2014you\u2019re not fit to be a role model for troubled high schoolers, let alone for America.\u201dKaroline Leavitt Goes After Robert De Niro On Live TV \u2014 But One Calm Sentence Flips the Entire Room Against Her<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2014until one sentence from him punctured the entire performance. And when it landed, even the producers didn\u2019t know how to salvage the moment. The silence that followed was not part of the script.<\/p>\n NEW YORK CITY | July 13, 2025<\/p>\n It was billed as a generational town hall: \u201cTruth in the Age of Rage.\u201d<\/p>\n Robert De Niro, Oscar-winner and political firebrand, was seated at the far end of the table\u2014lean, 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.<\/p>\n The topic? Political cynicism and America\u2019s next chapter.<\/p>\n Leavitt entered fast, cutting, dressed in hot pink and armed with rehearsed one-liners. Five minutes in, she launched her opener\u2014meant to humiliate:<\/p>\n \u201cSit down, Barbie\u2014you\u2019re not fit to be a role model for troubled high schoolers, let alone for America.\u201d<\/p>\n The audience reacted\u2014laughter, gasps, then silence.<\/p>\n Robert De Niro didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n He waited.<\/p>\n Then, he said it:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve buried friends who fought for this country so people like you could speak freely. But not once did I mistake that freedom for wisdom.\u201d<\/p>\n The room dropped.<\/p>\n The Moment Karoline Realized the Room Had Shifted<\/p>\n Leavitt blinked. Then smiled. Tried to pivot. But the smirk had worn thin.<\/p>\n De Niro leaned in:<\/p>\n \u201cYou parade grief like wardrobe changes. Floods in Texas, fires in California, veterans on the street\u2014you don\u2019t carry these stories. You decorate yourself with them.\u201d<\/p>\n The moderator froze.<\/p>\n Leavitt opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of shifting chairs from the studio audience drowned her out.<\/p>\n Then came the final blow:<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to be a role model? Start by not turning other people\u2019s pain into your stage lighting.\u201d<\/p>\n Social Media Didn\u2019t Just Explode \u2014 It Mutinied<\/p>\n Clips spread across platforms within minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cRobert De Niro just destroyed an entire influencer campaign in 15 seconds.\u201d\u201cHe didn\u2019t raise his voice. He raised the bar.\u201d\u201cKaroline rehearsed a takedown. He delivered an autopsy.\u201d<\/p>\n By noon, Karoline was trending alongside #DeNiroSilence, #BarbieSpeechless, and #MicDrop2025.<\/p>\n The full exchange, unedited, hit 20 million views in under eight hours.<\/p>\n The Cameras Didn\u2019t Cut Because of De Niro \u2014 They Cut to Protect Karoline<\/p>\n Behind the scenes, chaos. According to two producers on set, Leavitt\u2019s team signaled for a commercial break that never came.<\/p>\n \u201cShe froze. Not in a theatrical way. In a human way,\u201d said one audio tech. \u201cThey didn\u2019t know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n The control room made a call: fade out early. By the time they returned, Leavitt was gone. The moderator apologized vaguely, citing \u201ctechnical rotation.\u201d<\/p>\n But the internet had already decided: she didn\u2019t leave. She fled.<\/p>\n A Reputation Shattered in Real Time<\/p>\n 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\u2019t a performance. Not for De Niro.<\/p>\n Because De Niro didn\u2019t treat her like a pundit. He treated her like a symptom.<\/p>\n And in doing so, he revealed the performance for what it was.<\/p>\n One media analyst wrote:<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the first time Gen Z political theater collided with someone who\u2019d already buried the act.\u201d<\/p>\n What Karoline Said Next Only Made It Worse<\/p>\n Hours later, she posted:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s funny how Hollywood thinks lecturing Americans is noble. I\u2019d rather be called Barbie than play pretend.\u201d<\/p>\n But the damage was done. The comments filled with side-by-sides of her posing at disaster zones versus De Niro at Ground Zero.<\/p>\n One reply went viral:<\/p>\n \u201cOne of you visited suffering. The other never left it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Truth That Stuck<\/p>\n The moment reminded viewers of something they hadn\u2019t seen in a while: consequences.<\/p>\n Not from cancellation. Not from controversy.<\/p>\n From contrast.<\/p>\n De Niro didn\u2019t humiliate her. He exposed the gap between presence and purpose.<\/p>\n And the silence? That wasn\u2019t technical.<\/p>\n It was moral.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Newly released documents from Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s estate show that the convicted sex offender exchanged text messages with a Democratic member of Congress during Michael Cohen\u2019s February 2019 testimony, and that those messages…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t