You know that a Democrat has descended to particularly repulsive levels of gaslighting when even CNN calls him on it.
Tuesday evening on CNN’s “The Source,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York repeatedly evaded a question about whether he thought it “appropriate” that Democratic Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, exchanged text messages with convicted sex offender and suspected sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein during a congressional hearing in 2019.
To her credit, host Kaitlan Collins kept pressing the question.
“In your view, were [those texts] appropriate?” Collins asked in a clip posted to the social media platform X.
Jeffries then spent 40 seconds ignoring the direct question. Instead, the congressman had the audacity to accuse President Donald Trump’s administration of “hiding” Epstein-related files “for months.”
Trump, of course, has botched the Epstein issue to such a degree that it has threatened to undermine his presidency. The same holds true for his top law-enforcement officials, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Nonetheless, imagine the chutzpah required for a Democrat to accuse the Trump administration of “hiding” Epstein files. Former President Joe Biden appears to have slept through most of his four-year term. Did Jeffries, too? Where were Democrats’ demands for the Epstein files when they controlled the government?
Collins tried again.
“But do you think it was appropriate for her to be texting with Jeffrey Epstein 11 years after he pleaded guilty to — ?” she asked before Jeffries interrupted her.
Should the House have censured Plaskett?
“I mean, I have not had a conversation with Stacey Plaskett to discuss this issue,” he replied, “because we’ve been focused today on making sure that there was a decisive vote as it related to the Epstein files and the release.”
For the record, I haven’t had a conversation with Plaskett, either. But I know enough about right and wrong to declare her practice of texting with Epstein “inappropriate.” Apparently, Jeffries does not.
So, the CNN host tried a third time.
“I was just asking if you personally believe messaging with Jeffrey Epstein, who was at that point a registered sex offender, is appropriate for a member of the House Democratic caucus,” Collins said moments later.
This time, Jeffries grew agitated. How dare she ask for an honest reply!
“That’s the third time you’ve asked me this question,” he replied, “and I’m gonna give you the same exact answer.”
In other words, “I’m gonna give you no answer at all.”
What Hakeem Jeffries said when I asked about Stacey Plaskett’s texts with Jeffrey Epstein during the Michael Cohen hearing. pic.twitter.com/vmWdtQPZZD
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) November 19, 2025
By evading Collins’ question, Jeffries — a gargantuan buffoon and the butt of hilarious jokes — flashed his Swampy credentials. Generally speaking, Americans’ disgust over that kind of behavior crosses party lines.
As for why Jeffries refused to condemn Plaskett for texting Epstein, the answer is obvious. After all, the minority leader must contend with his own connections to the late sex offender. Thus, Jeffries had to take care not to establish a precedent for his own chastisement.
In short, when establishment journalists like Collins come across as sympathetic voices of reason, you know that public esteem for Jeffries in particular, and Congress more broadly, must have reached its nadir.
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