The legacy of Jeffrey Epstein continues to reverberate through American politics, long after his death in a New York jail cell in 2019. Each new disclosure involving public officials underscores an uncomfortable truth: Epstein’s influence was not confined to finance, academia, or celebrity culture-it also touched the political establishment. The latest episode centers on Democratic Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett, the non-voting delegate representing the US Virgin Islands, who has publicly defended her past interactions with the disgraced financier while forcefully rejecting any suggestion of wrongdoing.

Plaskett’s response, delivered through a video statement posted to Facebook, was unapologetic in tone but carefully calibrated in substance. She acknowledged exchanging text messages with Epstein and receiving campaign contributions from him, while repeatedly emphasizing that she neither enabled his crimes nor protected his interests. Instead, she framed her actions as lawful, transparent, and consistent with political norms that existed before Epstein’s full criminal history became widely known.

For observers-particularly journalists and political analysts outside the United States-the episode offers a revealing case study of how democratic systems grapple with reputational contamination, ethical gray zones, and retrospective accountability.

According to OCCRP reporting, Stacey Plaskett represents the US Virgin Islands, a territory closely intertwined with the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Epstein owned Little St. James Island in the territory, where some of the most serious sex trafficking allegations against him are alleged to have taken place. Although the US Virgin Islands elect only a non-voting delegate to the US Congress, the territory holds substantial symbolic significance in the........

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