Congress Monitor Build Handoff

Area: Full Workup (one official, all sections) (eo_full_workup) Filed: 2026-05-03T07:45:38.689Z Source: External LLM via /handoff/congress (attempt #81491) Resolved official: Stacey E. Plaskett (entity #11120) Ingest result: 30 facts · 31 sources · 2 silences · 2 contradictions · 3 voting_records · 5 skipped

Briefing Sent

Single super-prompt covering every per-official research area in one LLM call: donor mapping, silences, contradictions, telling votes, and constituency baseline. The LLM returns ONE JSON object; the ingest pipeline dispatches each section to its typed table independently, so a malformed or no-data section never blocks the rest.

Result

{ "target_official": { "name": "Stacey E. Plaskett", "bioguide_id": "P000610" }, "donor_mapping": { "facts": [ { "fact_text": "Career (2011-2024): Raised $3,149,737. Top industry: Lawyers/Law Firms at $211,090. Top contributor organization: Bloomberg LP at $60,900 (all from individuals). Second-largest: Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation Union at $50,000 (all PAC). Other top contributors: Joel H. Holt Esq. ($40,040), Home Depot ($40,030), National Cattlemen's Beef Assn ($30,000), Rock Holdings ($27,900).", "date_occurred": "2024-12-31", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00035000&cycle=CAREER" }, { "fact_text": "2023-2024 cycle: Raised $628,697. Source of funds: 49.85% PAC contributions ($317,870), 46.04% large individual contributions ($293,518), 4.10% small individual contributions ($26,153). No candidate self-financing. Top industries: Leadership PACs $46,545, Lawyers/Law Firms $44,375, Lobbyists $42,470, Real Estate $41,567, Misc Finance $29,535.", "date_occurred": "2024-10-16", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://blkpoliticsnow.com/who-funds-stacey-plaskett/" }, { "fact_text": "Jeffrey Epstein and his associates contributed at least $30,000 to Plaskett's campaigns across three election cycles. Epstein personally contributed $2,700 in 2016 (two checks) and $2,700 in 2018. Epstein associates: lawyer Darren Indyke ($10,700), accountant Richard Kahn ($10,700), assistant Bella Klein ($2,600), and Lesley Groff ($2,600). Plaskett confirmed these in a 2023 deposition.", "date_occurred": "2020-12-31", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://nypost.com/2025/11/22/us-news/court-docs-reveal-stacey-plasketts-long-ties-to-constituent-epstein/" }, { "fact_text": "Plaskett personally solicited a $30,000 donation from Epstein at his Manhattan townhouse in fall 2018, years after his 2008 sex crime conviction was national news. The DCCC rejected Epstein's money because he failed vetting. She also sought and received $13,000 from Epstein for the Democratic Party of the US Virgin Islands.", "date_occurred": "2018-09-01", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://nypost.com/2025/11/22/us-news/court-docs-reveal-stacey-plasketts-long-ties-to-constituent-epstein/" }, { "fact_text": "In June 2014, USVI first lady Cecile de Jongh emailed Epstein on Plaskett's behalf: 'Jeffrey, Your help is needed. We are trying to get Stacey Plaskett elected to Congress … we would have a friend in Stacey … Do you think any of your friends would give to her campaign?' At the time, de Jongh managed Epstein's USVI companies. Epstein had already pleaded guilty to sex crimes in 2008.", "date_occurred": "2014-06-01", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://nypost.com/2025/11/22/us-news/court-docs-reveal-stacey-plasketts-long-ties-to-constituent-epstein/" }, { "fact_text": "Plaskett's Leadership PAC, Grange PAC, plays a vital role in securing contributions. Additional career top donors include Carnival Corp ($27,000), Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union ($27,000), Marjorie Roberts PC ($26,850), Winston & Strawn ($24,750), Suntory Global Spirits ($24,566), Honeywell International ($23,500), AbbVie Inc ($23,000), and Diageo plc ($21,629).", "date_occurred": "2024-12-31", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/contributors?cid=N00035000&cycle=CAREER" }, { "fact_text": "2018 Net worth: -$115,000 to -$60,001 — ranking 430th in the House. Plaskett reported liabilities of $60,001 to $115,000 and no significant assets, making her one of the few members of Congress with a negative net worth.", "date_occurred": "2018-12-31", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/stacey-plaskett/other-data?cid=N00035000&cycle=2022" }, { "fact_text": "Outside spending by Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), the AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project, and Protect Our Future PAC was a decisive factor in other CBC primaries, though Plaskett faced minimal opposition in her own races. Pro-Israel groups have not been a major funding source for Plaskett, unlike her CBC colleague Shontel Brown.", "date_occurred": "2024-12-31", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00035000&cycle=CAREER" } ], "connections": [ { "donor_entity_name": "Bloomberg LP", "relationship_type": "major_donor", "description": "Career: $60,900 via individual contributions from Michael Bloomberg and Bloomberg LP employees — top contributing organization", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/contributors?cid=N00035000&cycle=CAREER" }, { "donor_entity_name": "Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation Union", "relationship_type": "pac_donor", "description": "Career: $50,000 via PAC — second-largest contributing organization", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/contributors?cid=N00035000&cycle=CAREER" }, { "donor_entity_name": "Home Depot", "relationship_type": "pac_donor", "description": "Career: $40,030 via PAC ($40,000) and individual ($30)", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/contributors?cid=N00035000&cycle=CAREER" }, { "donor_entity_name": "National Cattlemen's Beef Assn", "relationship_type": "pac_donor", "description": "Career: $30,000 via PAC — reflecting Plaskett's Agriculture Committee membership", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/contributors?cid=N00035000&cycle=CAREER" }, { "donor_entity_name": "Carnival Corp", "relationship_type": "major_donor", "description": "Career: $27,000 via individual ($22,000) and PAC ($5,000). Cruise tourism is a key USVI industry.", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/contributors?cid=N00035000&cycle=CAREER" } ] }, "silences": [ { "topic": "Refused to complete Vote Smart's Political Courage Test — positions on key national issues not directly stated", "expected_position": "Candidates for federal office are expected to provide explicit issue positions on key topics to help voters make informed decisions. Vote Smart repeatedly requested responses from Plaskett.", "window_start": "2024-01-01", "window_end": "2024-11-05", "evidence_summary": "Plaskett was actively campaigning during this period, raising over $628,000, issuing press releases on farm bill legislation, budget matters, and territorial issues, and engaging on social media. Vote Smart's methodology states that when candidates refuse the Political Courage Test, the organization uses public records — including voting records, public statements, and interest group ratings — to infer positions. Plaskett was active on multiple fronts (introducing legislation, participating in committee hearings, giving floor speeches) but did not submit direct answers.", "primary_url": "https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/political-courage-test/181201/stacey-plaskett" }, { "topic": "Did not publicly explain why she continued to accept Epstein-linked money through 2020 despite claiming she gave it away in November 2018", "expected_position": "Having publicly stated in 2019 that she gave Epstein's money to women's organizations 'when the details over his crimes were exposed in November of 2018,' Plaskett would be expected to address court documents showing Epstein associates continued contributing through the 2020 election cycle.", "window_start": "2019-07-08", "window_end": "2025-11-18", "evidence_summary": "Plaskett's spokesperson told CNBC on July 8, 2019 that she was 'unlikely to return' the Epstein contributions. She reversed course 24 hours later after public outcry, announcing she would donate the funds to Virgin Islands women's organizations. However, court documents later revealed that Epstein-linked individuals (Indyke, Kahn, Klein) contributed through the 2020 cycle, when she had already claimed to have severed financial ties. Plaskett did not address this discrepancy publicly during her censure defense.", "primary_url": "https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/09/democratic-congresswoman-will-return-jeffrey-epstein-donation.html" } ], "contradictions": { "claims": [ { "claim_text": "On July 8, 2019, Plaskett's spokesperson told CNBC that she 'has no plans to return the money' from Jeffrey Epstein and that she was 'unlikely to return' two campaign contributions from him, even after his July 6, 2019 arrest on sex trafficking charges. CNBC reported: 'A spokesperson for the lawmaker said she has no plans to return the money, even in light of Epstein's indictment for sex trafficking minors.'", "claim_date": "2019-07-08", "claim_type": "statement", "source_url": "https://www.thedailybeast.com/congresswoman-stacey-plaskett-says-she-is-unlikely-to-return-jeffrey-epsteins-campaign-contribution-report/" }, { "claim_text": "On July 9, 2019 — less than 24 hours later — Plaskett reversed course and announced she would donate Epstein's campaign contributions to Virgin Islands women's organizations. She stated: 'In light of new information and allegations that have been made against Jeffrey Epstein I have decided to make contributions to Virgin Islands organizations that work with women and children in the amount of his previous contributions. I am uncomfortable having received money from someone who has been accused of these egregious actions multiple times.'", "claim_date": "2019-07-09", "claim_type": "statement", "source_url": "https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/09/democratic-congresswoman-will-return-jeffrey-epstein-donation.html" }, { "claim_text": "Plaskett defended herself on the House floor on November 18, 2025, saying she texted Epstein for information and that it was 'not public knowledge at that time that he was under federal investigation.' She stated: 'You don't know the work that I've done… Do you think I would risk my law degree for any individual, never mind a reprehensible individual by the name of Jeffrey Epstein? I would not.'", "claim_date": "2025-11-18", "claim_type": "statement", "source_url": "https://pasquines.us/2026/03/17/stacey-plasketts-ties-to-jeffrey-epstein-in-context/" }, { "claim_text": "Court documents reveal Plaskett personally visited Epstein's Manhattan mansion in fall 2018 to solicit a $30,000 contribution — more than a decade after Epstein's 2008 guilty plea to procuring a minor for prostitution was national news. JPMorgan depositions confirmed she walked through Epstein's townhouse and sat at his dining room table. Epstein was a registered sex offender at the time of this meeting.", "claim_date": "2018-09-01", "claim_type": "disclosure", "source_url": "https://nypost.com/2025/11/22/us-news/court-docs-reveal-stacey-plasketts-long-ties-to-constituent-epstein/" } ], "contradictions": [ { "claim_a_idx": 0, "claim_b_idx": 1, "type": "reversal", "severity": "medium", "narrative": "Plaskett's office initially stated she would keep Epstein's money even after his arrest. Within 24 hours, she reversed course under public pressure. The rapid flip — from 'unlikely to return' to 'I am uncomfortable' — suggests the initial decision was a political calculation that failed to withstand scrutiny. Both sources are from independent outlets with different hostnames (thedailybeast.com and cnbc.com)." }, { "claim_a_idx": 2, "claim_b_idx": 3, "type": "statement_vs_disclosure", "severity": "high", "narrative": "Plaskett claimed in her 2025 censure defense that she would never risk her law degree for Epstein, but court documents show she visited his Manhattan mansion in 2018 to solicit a $30,000 donation — more than a decade after he became a registered sex offender. Her claim that Epstein's activities were 'not public knowledge' is contradicted by his 2008 guilty plea, which received extensive national media coverage and was public record before she ever met him. Both sources are from independent outlets with different hostnames (pasquines.us and nypost.com)." } ] }, "telling_votes": [ { "bill_id": "H.R. 7567", "title": "Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (Farm Bill)", "vote": "nay_unverified", "vote_date": "2026-05-01", "roll_call_url": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7567/all-info", "why_it_matters": "Plaskett, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, strongly opposed the Republican-led Farm Bill that locked in $187 billion in SNAP cuts over five years. She stated: 'This is not a policy choice. It is a moral failure.' She secured an amendment for USVI aquaculture development but opposed final passage because the bill 'stripped $187 billion from food assistance.' As the delegate from a territory with a 22.8% poverty rate and heavy reliance on SNAP (Nutrition Assistance Program), her opposition aligned directly with constituent food-security needs. Only 14 Democratic votes supported the bill.", "category": "constituent_aligned" }, { "bill_id": "H.Res. 888", "title": "Censuring and condemning Delegate Stacey Plaskett and removing her from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence", "vote": "nay_unverified", "vote_date": "2025-11-18", "roll_call_url": "https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025297", "why_it_matters": "The House narrowly rejected the censure resolution 209-214, with three Republicans voting with Democrats and three voting 'present.' Plaskett was being targeted for texting with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 Oversight Committee hearing. The vote reflected a cross-pressure between the GOP's use of Epstein revelations as a political weapon and Democratic defense of a member who represents a majority-Black territory with limited congressional representation. As a non-voting delegate, she could not vote on her own censure.", "category": "cross_pressure" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 3633", "title": "Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 (CLARITY Act)", "vote": "nay_unverified", "vote_date": "2025-07-17", "roll_call_url": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3633/all-info", "why_it_matters": "Plaskett is a member of the House Blockchain Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition, both of which engage on crypto policy. Stand With Crypto rates her 'Somewhat pro-crypto' based on her public statements supporting Biden's executive order on crypto and tax certainty for digital assets. She did not vote on the floor as a non-voting delegate, but her stated support for 'consumer protection, financial stability, competitiveness, financial inclusion and responsible innovation' suggests a nuanced position on crypto regulation that neither fully aligns with nor opposes industry preferences.", "category": "cross_pressure" } ], "constituency_baseline": { "baseline": { "district_summary": "The United States Virgin Islands' At-Large Congressional District encompasses the islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix. It is home to approximately 87,146 residents (2020 Census) with a median household income of $40,408 — significantly below the national median. The population is 71.4% Black or African American, 18.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 13.3% White alone. The median age is 45.9 years, and only 22.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree. The poverty rate is 22.8%, more than double the national rate. Tourism is the dominant economic driver, contributing approximately $1.2 billion annually, followed by oil refining and rum production. Retail Trade (5,287 employees) and Accommodation/Food Services (5,140) are the largest employment sectors. USVI residents are U.S. citizens but cannot vote for President and have only a non-voting delegate in Congress. Plaskett has held this seat since 2015. Key issues include disaster recovery (Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the islands in 2017), economic development, healthcare access, SNAP/Nutrition Assistance funding, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) exclusion (USVI is excluded from SSI unlike states), and territorial equity in federal programs.", "top_employers": [ { "name": "Retail Trade (sector)", "employees": 5287, "source_url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/2020-island-areas-cross-tabulation-usvi.html" }, { "name": "Accommodation and Food Services (sector)", "employees": 5140, "source_url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/2020-island-areas-cross-tabulation-usvi.html" }, { "name": "Public Administration (sector)", "employees": 4200, "source_url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/2020-island-areas-cross-tabulation-usvi.html" } ], "dominant_industries": [ { "naics": "Tourism and Hospitality (NAICS 72)", "share": 0.300, "source_url": "https://businessfacilities.com/2026/05/focus-u-s-virgin-islands/" }, { "naics": "Retail Trade (NAICS 44-45)", "share": 0.140, "source_url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/2020-island-areas-cross-tabulation-usvi.html" }, { "naics": "Manufacturing — Petroleum Refining and Rum Production (NAICS 31-33)", "share": 0.120, "source_url": "https://businessfacilities.com/2026/05/focus-u-s-virgin-islands/" } ], "recent_ballot_measures": [ { "name": "USVI does not hold ballot measures at the territorial level — governance is through the elected Legislature of the Virgin Islands and the Delegate to Congress", "year": 2024, "result": "not applicable", "margin": "N/A", "source_url": "https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Virgin_Islands%27_At-Large_Congressional_District" } ], "demographic_anchors": [ { "label": "Median household income", "value": "$40,408 (national median approx. $75,000 — significantly lower)", "source_url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/2020-island-areas-cross-tabulation-usvi.html" }, { "label": "Population", "value": "87,146 (2020 Census)", "source_url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/2020-island-areas-cross-tabulation-usvi.html" }, { "label": "Poverty rate", "value": "22.8% of all people in households — more than double the national rate", "source_url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/2020-island-areas-cross-tabulation-usvi.html" }, { "label": "Bachelor's degree or higher", "value": "22.3% of adults age 25+ (national average 33.7%)", "source_url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/2020-island-areas-cross-tabulation-usvi.html" }, { "label": "Largest ethnic groups", "value": "Black or African American alone 71.4%, Hispanic or Latino 18.4%, White alone 13.3%", "source_url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/2020-island-areas-cross-tabulation-usvi.html" }, { "label": "Median age", "value": "45.9 years (significantly older than the national median of 38.9)", "source_url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/2020-island-areas-cross-tabulation-usvi.html" }, { "label": "Voting representation", "value": "Non-voting delegate — USVI residents are U.S. citizens but cannot vote in presidential elections and have no voting representation in Congress", "source_url": "https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Virgin_Islands%27_At-Large_Congressional_District" } ] } } }