Watch: Rep. Cammack Calls Out Ranking Democrat's Ties to Epstein During Congressional Hearing
Republican Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida threw a zinger in the direction of Democratic Virgin Islands Delegate Stacey Plaskett during a Thursday hearing on the weaponization of government.
The U.S. Virgin Islands has a non-voting delegate in the House who serves on committees, but cannot vote.
According to Insider, Epstein was a donor to Plaskett’s campaigns beginning in 2014, when she first won her seat in Congress. Epstein also had his business associates donate to Plaskett, Insider reported. The money helped Plaskett win a razor-close primary in August 2014 against an opponent who was an open critic of Epstein, according to Insider.
In 2018, while trying to raise money for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, she secured a $30,000 donation from Epstein, which the DCCC would not accept.
Cammack referenced that during Thursday’s hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, during which Democratic presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke about being censored for his beliefs.
According to Fox News, Plaskett claimed that Kenney was being supported by what she called “MAGA Republicans,” specifically through a super PAC called Heal the Divide. Kennedy maintained his connection to the super PAC was only superficial, and that he had not endorsed it.
But Cammack used the opening to bring up Plaskett’s ties to Epstein.
“I have to bring this up and, since the door was opened, I am deeply concerned about the fact that there were FEC reports brought up,” Cammack said.
“Mr. Kennedy, you acknowledge that you don’t know where those came from. You said that you have no affiliation with them, that PAC, that super PAC, I believe,” she said.
Then she zeroed in on Plaskett.
🤯 ‘Glass Houses And All’: Kat Cammack Calls Out Stacey Plaskett For Donations From Jeffrey Epstein 🤯
Censorship, weaponization of the federal government, @RobertKennedyJr
This one is worth a watch. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/rRzU5ceEh4
— Kat Cammack (@Kat_Cammack) July 21, 2023
“I believe the ranking member said she was deeply concerned about the affiliation and we seem to have a guilty by-association thing going on here and so, I just have to state for the record that I myself am deeply concerned about the affiliation of the convicted sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein, of which the ranking member took campaign donation money from,” she said.
“So, I think that’s the beauty of the First Amendment is that we have a right to say what we want to say, but we also have the right to be offended, so I just wanted to point that out, you know, glass houses and all,” she said.
Earlier, Plaskett, who is the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, criticized House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the subcommittee chairman, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, for allowing Kennedy to testify.
“They intentionally chose to elevate this rhetoric to give these harmful, dangerous views a platform in the halls of the United States Congress,” Plaskett said. “That’s endorsing that speech. That’s not just supporting free speech. They have co-signed on idiotic, bigoted messaging.
“It’s a free country. You absolutely have a right to say what you believe,” Plaskett said. “But you don’t have the right to a platform, public or private. We don’t have to give one of the largest platforms of our democracy — Congress, this hearing. Our right does not mean that we as Americans are not free from accountability.”
Kennedy disagreed.
“The First Amendment was not written for easy speech. It was written for the speech that nobody likes you for,” he said.
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