The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee drew criticism from President Donald Trump and the White House on Tuesday after dismissing a colleague’s text messages with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein as simply “taking a phone call from her constituent.” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) made the remark during debate over a resolution to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-U.S. Virgin Islands) for coordinating with Epstein ahead of a Feb. 27, 2019, House Oversight Committee hearing featuring testimony from Michael Cohen.

“They’ve arraigned a Democratic member for taking a phone call from her constituent, Jeffrey Epstein, in the middle of a hearing,” Raskin said during floor debate. “And of course, I don’t think there’s any rule here against taking phone calls in a hearing.” He went on to question the basis for the censure effort, asking Republicans where the ethical or legal transgression was and warning them to “be careful” in setting such a precedent.

The White House blasted Raskin’s comments, calling him “one of the worst to ever disgrace the halls of Congress” and describing Plaskett’s interaction with Epstein as collusion with a convicted sex offender. Deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson questioned why Raskin was minimizing the interaction, invoking reports about other Democrats’ past connections to Epstein.
Commentators on social media also condemned Raskin’s defense of Plaskett, with users highlighting alleged hypocrisy and resurfacing his own remarks tying Donald Trump to Epstein.