House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries came under renewed scrutiny on Tuesday after Republicans released documents suggesting that a political consulting firm that helped elevate his early congressional career once invited convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to a Democratic fundraising event.
Why It’s Drawing Attention
The newly surfaced material adds to broader concerns about transparency, the role of wealthy and controversial donors in U.S. politics, and the scope of Epstein’s ties to prominent figures in Washington.
It also lands just as Congress voted by a wide margin on Tuesday to require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to disclose its files related to the Epstein investigation, signaling rare bipartisan agreement on the need to map out the full extent of Epstein’s influence and any political connections.
Key Details
According to documents released by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a 2013 email was sent to Epstein—who died by suicide in a New York City jail cell six years later—promoting Jeffries as a rising Democratic star and referring to him as “Brooklyn’s Barack.” Comer pointed to the email in a floor speech and on social media, characterizing it as an effort to bring Epstein into Democratic fundraising circles.
Both the House and Senate have now overwhelmingly backed a measure requiring the Justice Department to release its Epstein files, an unusually unified move in a Congress often defined by partisan gridlock. The push had previously stalled for months amid opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership.
The Washington Times first reported the 2013 email on Tuesday, noting that by then Epstein had already been convicted as a sex offender in 2008 and was facing a growing number of lawsuits. The documents do not indicate that Jeffries ever met Epstein, nor do they show Epstein making donations in response to the outreach. It also remains unclear whether Epstein ever replied.
Separate documents from Epstein’s estate also include 2019 text messages between Epstein and U.S. House Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands, exchanged during a House Oversight Committee hearing where Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, was testifying.
In those texts, Epstein appears to offer Plaskett unsolicited advice, flagging Cohen’s comments and giving moment-by-moment feedback as she prepared to question witnesses. While the messages do not themselves show evidence of wrongdoing by Plaskett, they have attracted attention because of Epstein’s criminal history and his apparent efforts to advise or influence powerful officials.
Plaskett’s office has said she received numerous messages during the hearing from staff, constituents and members of the public, and that Epstein’s texts were among them. She had previously returned campaign donations tied to Epstein after public backlash.
Reactions From Lawmakers
Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert of Colorado, responding to a House Oversight Committee post on X on Tuesday, wrote simply: “Oof!!”
Republican Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona posted on X: “‘Rising Star’ Brooklyn Barack’s firm reached out to arrange a dinner with Jeffrey Epstein. Add to this the fact that he has yet to condemn Stacey Plaskett’s text exchange with Epstein during a committee hearing… What else is the Minority Leader hiding?”
Jeffries, posting on X on Tuesday morning ahead of the vote, wrote: “The House will vote today to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. This is not a hoax.”
Republican Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana was the lone “no” vote in the House. On X, he explained: “I have been a principled ‘NO’ on this bill from the beginning. What was wrong with the bill three months ago is still wrong today. It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America. As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people – witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc.”
He continued: “If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt. Not by my vote. The Oversight Committee is conducting a thorough investigation that has already released well over 60,000 pages of documents from the Epstein case. That effort will continue in a manner that provides all due protections for innocent Americans. If the Senate amends the bill to properly address privacy of victims and other Americans, who are named but not criminally implicated, then I will vote for that bill when it comes back to the House.”
What Comes Next
With overwhelming support in both chambers, Congress has passed legislation directing the DOJ to release all files connected to Epstein within 30 days of the law taking effect. The bill now heads to Trump, who has previously indicated that he would sign it.
