Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett faced backlash for incorrectly asserting on the House floor that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin received campaign donations from Jeffrey Epstein. In her statement, she claimed that Zeldin accepted funds from Epstein, a statement quickly debunked by public records.
Crockett’s remarks, made during a session on November 19, 2025, incorrectly identified the donor as the infamous convicted sex offender. Instead, the donation came from a self-employed physician named Dr. Jeffrey Epstein, who contributed $750 to Zeldin’s congressional campaign on April 24, 2020, a year after the convicted financier’s death. Additional records from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) revealed that Dr. Epstein made another donation of $250 on August 31, 2020.
During her speech, Crockett highlighted a list of individuals and entities she claimed also accepted money from Epstein, including former Senator Mitt Romney, the National Republican Congressional Committee, and former President George Bush. She asserted, “If this is the standard that we’re going to make, just know we’re going to expose it all, and just know that the FEC filings are available for everybody to review.”
Zeldin responded with a statement on social media, mocking Crockett’s error. “Yes Crockett, a physician named Dr. Jeffrey Epstein (who is a totally different person than the other Jeffrey Epstein) donated to a prior campaign of mine. NO FREAKIN RELATION YOU GENIUS!!!” he wrote, emphasizing the distinction between the two individuals.
The miscommunication did not stop at Zeldin. Records also indicated that Dr. Epstein had previously donated two $250 contributions to Romney during his 2012 presidential campaign, underscoring that neither he nor Zeldin received funds from the convicted sex offender.
In a related legislative move, the House of Representatives passed the “Epstein Files Transparency Act” on the same day, with a decisive vote of 427-1. The only dissenting vote came from Republican Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana. This act aims to promote transparency concerning the Epstein case and related documents.
Former President Donald Trump supported the release of these files, stating on his social media platform that Republicans should vote for transparency as they have “nothing to hide.”
This incident highlights the importance of accuracy in political discourse, especially regarding sensitive subjects like campaign financing and associations with controversial figures. As the political landscape continues to evolve, such misstatements can have significant implications for individuals and parties involved.
