This week, there was a measure on the floor to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) for having exchanged texts with Jeffrey Epstein during a congressional hearing involving former Donald Trump attorney Michael Cohen.
The proposal failed, barely, but that is hardly the big story here.
Republicans went nuclear over an alleged deal that was made with leadership to kill the Plaskett censure in return for letting Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) off the hook regarding claims of his own misconduct.
According to reports, Plaskett allegedly reached out to Epstein and initiated contact to solicit guidance on what questions she should ask Cohen when he was in the hot seat.
Epstein mentioned “RONA,” a likely reference to Trump’s longtime assistant, Rhona Graff.
The proposed censure against Plaskett over this engagement with Epstein failed to pass, 214-209, with three Republicans crossing the aisle to block the measure.
That, obviously, did not sit well with some members of the GOP.
Numerous Republicans went right for their phones and posted on social media regarding their outrage over the censure's failure.
For instance, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) posted, “Tonight, a handful of Republicans took a dive on a vote to strip Stacy Plaskett of her position on House intel because of her ties to Epstein. They did it to protect a Republican facing his own ethics issues from a similar vote. This backroom deal shit is swampy, wrong and always…”
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), who introduced the censure resolution, added, “Last night’s vote was about Members who chose to either side with Democrats or avoid taking a stand by voting ‘present.’ When accountability becomes optional, the House loses its credibility. I censured Del. Stacey Plaskett because serious concerns demand action, not fear of retaliation or political calculation.”
That was far from the worst of it, however, as several members then went after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for protecting Mills.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was fuming, stating, “They expelled George Santos, Mike Johnson did. He was speaker and oversaw Santos being expelled. Why isn’t he doing anything about Cory Mills?”
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) did not wait for social media or for a media interview, calling out Republicans right on the floor. What Boebert said was not audible from the tapes I have seen, but she was clearly angry and putting her finger in the faces of several Republicans, as well as yelling directly at Mills on the floor.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) added to the fury, stating, “I was wondering if the Speaker of the House of Representatives can explain why leadership on both sides, both Democrat and Republican, are cutting back-end deals to cover up public corruption in the House of Representatives for both Republican and Democrat members of Congress.”
This is an absolutely horrible look for both sides of the aisle, as it now looks like Dems are protecting someone who was willingly collaborating with a pedophile, and the GOP is covering for someone simply because he is a known ally of Trump's. It stinks, to put it mildly. It is just business as usual in D.C.. The only bright spot in all of this is that the House Ethics Committee reportedly decided to launch a probe into Mills after the alleged censure deals were made.
