Newly released US Justice Department documents show that an associate of the United States Virgin Islands’ sole representative in Congress turned to Jeffrey Epstein for help arranging a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, underscoring how the disgraced financier remained entangled in high-level political access years after his first conviction.
The request was made on behalf of Stacey Plaskett, who represents the US Virgin Islands in the House of Representatives. According to the emails, her team was seeking Schumer’s attention as Congress debated disaster relief after two powerful hurricanes devastated parts of the Caribbean in 2017.
“We have to help Stacey get a meeting with Schumer. Any thoughts?” Erika Kellerhals, a tax lawyer based in the US Virgin Islands, wrote to Epstein in an email dated January 24, 2018.
“[S]hould not be a problem need to know the reason and subject,” Epstein replied a few hours later.
Kellerhals followed up with a clearer sense of urgency, explaining the political stakes. “She has been unable to confirm a meeting with him. He is driving the disaster relief bill and has only been talking about Puerto Rico and not the [Virgin Islands]. She’s concerned we will be ignored,” she wrote.
The correspondence did not stop there. Epstein then reached out to Kathy Ruemmler, a former top lawyer in the Obama White House and now chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs, asking for assistance in securing access to Schumer.
“schumer is driving the puerto rico . virgin islands relief=bill. the VI congressional rep Stacey plaskett , h=s not been able to get a meeting. confirmed with him. ca= you help?” Epstein wrote.
“I do not have any relations=ip with him, but let me see whether I can get to his COS,” Ruemmler replied, referring to Schumer’s chief of staff.
The emails form part of roughly 3.5 million pages of material released last week relating to federal investigations into Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. It remains unclear whether a meeting between Plaskett and Schumer ever took place. Congress ultimately approved emergency funding for the US Virgin Islands as part of a two-year budget package passed in February 2018.
There is no public record showing Schumer met or directly communicated with Epstein. Schumer, Plaskett and Kellerhals did not respond to requests for comment, and Ruemmler could not be reached.
The exchange has not previously been reported and adds to a growing body of evidence illustrating how Epstein continued to leverage personal networks in politics and business long after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution with a minor.
Plaskett’s connections to Epstein have drawn scrutiny before. Last year, she narrowly avoided censure in the House of Representatives following revelations that Epstein had texted her advice during a congressional hearing in February 2019. After Epstein’s arrest later that year, Plaskett said she would donate to charity an amount equal to campaign contributions she had received from him and his associates.
Although Plaskett is a non-voting member of Congress, she plays a visible role in legislative debates and serves on several powerful committees, including the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She has previously rejected suggestions that she enabled Epstein, describing him as a “demon” and saying she was “disgusted by his deviant behavior”.
The latest news in your social feeds
Subscribe to our social media platforms to stay tuned