Democrat lawmaker won't return Epstein's campaign donations

Rep. Stacey Plaskett is a Democrat from the U.S. Virgin Islands. She has a financial connection to accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and she has no plans to sever that tie, despite his recent arrest.

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Epstein, a billionaire and big donor to Democrats, contributed $2,700 to Plaskett as recently as during her 2018 campaign for re-election. That is the limit that can be contributed to a candidate in both a primary and general election. In 2016 he contributed twice – both to her primary and to her general election races.

Little Saint James, a private island in the Virgin Islands, is owned by Epstein. His support of Plaskett is probably just supporting his local representative, right? The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee received a $10,000 check from him in October, though, and returned it to him. Epstein’s personal history is well-known in Democrat circles.The current charges for which he was indicted are from 2002 – 2005. Twelve years ago Epstein, now 66 years old, got a sweetheart deal when he was charged with allegedly molesting dozens of underage girls.

Epstein is a FOB (Friend of Bill), to resurrect an acronym from the days of the Clinton presidency and the establishment of the Clinton Foundation. He’s been a big Clinton donor.

From the late 1990s until 2004, he gave more than $145,000 to Democrats running for public office, including former President Bill Clinton, and associated political action committees, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. One of his former charities, the C.O.U.Q. Foundation, reportedly donated $25,000 to the Clinton Foundation.

It remains unclear if the Clinton’s plan to send back the checks as both a spokesman for the former commander in chief and a representative for the foundation did not return requests for comment.

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I’ll not hold my breath for the Clintons to return Epstein’s money. Heck, Bill’s not even copping to being a buddy to the man.

Rep. Plaskett has been a delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives since 2016. As a delegate, she has limited voting power. She has committee assignments and responsibilities on the floor but not if her vote is the deciding vote. Her decision to keep Epstein’s campaign contributions can be seen as a defiant act in support of him – at least for now.

Mike McQueery, a spokesman for Plaskett’s office, told CNBC she has no immediate plans to refund the donation. “I’m pretty sure she’s not,” he said and later confirmed, in a follow-up phone call to verify her position, that his boss is unlikely to return the contribution. He declined to comment further about the investigation and how Plaskett knew Epstein.

Where are all the questions to Democrats from the press asking all of them if they will be returning Epstein’s donations? That is standard procedure these days involving anyone committing a real or perceived offense – the press shoves microphones in the faces of elected officials and asks the question.

https://twitter.com/schwartzbCNBC/status/1148351515389779969

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