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Stacey Plaskett

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Stacey Elizabeth Plaskett[1][2] (/ˈplæskɪt/ PLASS-kit; born May 13, 1966) is an American politician and attorney serving since 2015 as the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the United States Virgin Islands' at-large congressional district. Plaskett has practiced law in New York City, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Stacey Plaskett
Official portrait, 2015
Delegate to the
U.S. House of Representatives
from the U.S. Virgin Islands' at-large district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2015
Preceded byDonna Christian-Christensen
Personal details
Born
Stacey Elizabeth Plaskett

(1966-05-13) May 13, 1966 (age 58)
New York City, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (2008–present)
Other political
affiliations		Republican (until 2008)
SpouseJonathan Buckney Small
Children5
EducationGeorgetown University (BSFS)
American University (JD)
Signature
WebsiteHouse website
Stacey Plaskett's voice
Stacey Plaskett speaks on Virgin Island History Month
Recorded March 16, 2022

Before 2008, Plaskett was a member of the Republican Party, and was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve in the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice.[3] She switched to the Democratic Party in late 2008 because she believed it was a better place to have new ideas heard.[4] She served as a House manager (prosecutor) during the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, the first non-voting House member to do so.[5]

Early life and education

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Plaskett was born on May 13, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York,[6] and grew up in the Bushwick housing projects.[7] Her parents are both from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Her father was a New York City Police Department officer and her mother a clerk in the court system. Her family regularly traveled to St. Croix during her childhood, so she became familiar with island traditions and culture.[8] Her parents' home in New York was often home for students and other recent migrants moving to the mainland from the Virgin Islands. She attended Brooklyn Friends School (a Quaker school) and Grace Lutheran Elementary. She was recruited by A Better Chance, Inc., a nonprofit organization recruiting minority students to selective secondary schools. She was a boarding student at Choate Rosemary Hall, where she was a varsity athlete and served as class president for several years.[9]

Plaskett spent a term abroad in France during her enrollment at Choate. She has said that Choate awakened her commitment to public service and a deep sense of responsibility to others through the biblical verse "to whom much is given; much is required". She was one of few black students while she attended the school. In 1988, she graduated with a degree in history and diplomacy from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.[10]

Plaskett ran for student government at Georgetown under a progressive student ticket and was very active in the Anti-Apartheid Movement. As a student she spoke on behalf of universities in the DC area at the General Assembly of the United Nations. She received her J.D. degree from the American University Washington College of Law in 1994. She attended law school at night while working full-time during the day with the lobbying arm of the American Medical Association and then with the law firm Jones Day.[3] In law school she studied constitutional law under her future colleague, Representative Jamie Raskin.[11]

Career

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After graduating from law school, Plaskett accepted a position as an assistant district attorney in the Bronx, New York, under Robert T. Johnson.[7] She prosecuted several hundred cases, including in the Narcotics Bureau. She then worked as a consultant and legal counsel focused on internal corporate investigations and strategy for the Mitchell Madison Group.[9] She moved to Washington, D.C., and worked as counsel on the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, now known as the House Committee on Ethics or the Ethics Committee.[12] She left the Committee when she was asked by mentor and fellow trustee at Choate, Robert McCallum, to work at the United States Department of Justice as a political appointee of then-President George W. Bush.[citation needed]

Plaskett accepted the offer and served as counsel for the assistant attorney general for the DOJ Civil Division, and also as acting deputy assistant attorney general for the Torts Branch in the Civil Division.[3] She then joined the staff of Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson, primarily working on the Justice Honors program and an initiative to increase the number of minority and women attorneys at the Justice Department.[13] While in the Justice Civil Division, she also worked on the Terrorism Litigation Task Force, the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and United States v. Philip Morris, the case against several major tobacco companies for violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) by engaging in a conspiracy to deceive the public about the health effects of smoking.[9]

After Thompson resigned, Plaskett joined the staff of his successor, James Comey. She later left government service to become a deputy general counsel at UnitedHealth Group.[3] There, she worked in the Americhoice division, handling legal work related to Medicaid and Medicare programs.[9] She then moved to the Virgin Islands, where she worked in private practice and from 2007 to 2014 served as general counsel for the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, charged with the economic development of the U.S. territory.[14][15]

Plaskett switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party in late 2008.[4] She was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta sorority in 2019.[16]

During a 2023 MSNBC interview, Plaskett said that Donald Trump "needs to be shot" before correcting herself and saying that he needed to be stopped.[17] This resulted in several conservative commentators calling for her resignation.[18]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2012

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Main article: United States House of Representatives election in the United States Virgin Islands, 2012

In 2012, Plaskett challenged nine-term delegate Donna Christian-Christensen in the Democratic Party primary. Plaskett was unsuccessful, receiving 42.49% of the vote to Christian-Christensen's 57.48%.[4]

2014

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Main article: United States House of Representatives election in the United States Virgin Islands, 2014

In 2014, Plaskett ran for the office again, after formally declaring her candidacy in November 2013. In the Democratic primary held on August 2, she faced Shawn-Micheal Malone, a Virgin Islands Senator, and Senate President, and Emmett Hansen, a former Virgin Islands Senator and former chair of the Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands. She received 50.4% of the vote to Malone's 41.61% and Hansen's 7.92%.[19] She defeated Republican nominee Vince Danet in the general election held on November 4 with over 90% of the vote.[20]

2016

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Main article: United States House of Representatives election in the United States Virgin Islands, 2016

Plaskett was challenged in the Democratic primary by former Virgin Islands Senator Ronald Russell. She defeated Russell with 85.48% of the vote to his 14.04%.[21] In the general election, she faced Republican Gordon Ackley, an Air Force veteran and business owner, who ran as a write-in candidate.[22] She won in a landslide, garnering almost 98% of the vote.[23]

2018

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Plaskett at the White House Correspondents Dinner, 2019
Main article: United States House of Representatives election in the United States Virgin Islands, 2018

Plaskett won reelection unopposed in both the Democratic primary and the general election.[24]

2020

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Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives election in the United States Virgin Islands

Plaskett won reelection, defeating independent candidate Shekema George with 88.09% of the vote.[25]

Impeachment manager

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On January 12, 2021, Plaskett was named a House impeachment manager for the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump in response to the storming of the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.[26] During the trial on February 10, 2021, she was introduced by lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin of Maryland, her former constitutional law professor, who said she was "an 'A' student then and she is an 'A+' student now".[11]

Weaponization Subcommittee

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On February 2, 2023, Plaskett was appointed by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as the Ranking Member of the United States House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.[27] Plaskett has criticized multiple decisions made by the Republican majority, saying in her opening statement of the select subcommittee's first hearing, "I'm deeply concerned about the use of the select subcommittee as a place to settle scores, showcase conspiracy theories and advance an extreme agenda that risks undermining Americans' faith in our democracy."[28] On March 2, 2023, Plaskett and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler released a staff report titled GOP Witnesses: What Their Disclosures Indicate About The State Of The Republican Investigations, in which they criticized three alleged whistleblowers (George Hill, Garret O’Boyle,[29] and Stephen Friend) who had transcribed interviews with the Select Subcommittee. This document claims that the three have been the only ones who have been transcribed out of "dozens and dozens of whistleblowers" who have had discussions with House Judiciary Republicans. In the 315-page report, Subcommittee Democrats doubt the three whistleblowers' credibility, stating that they are heavily MAGA-biased and had no evidence of actual FBI misconduct.

Donations from Jeffrey Epstein

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After receiving criticism in 2019 when Jeffrey Epstein was arrested for new sex crimes, Plaskett was the first politician to announce she would give away Epstein's political donations, saying the funds would benefit The Women’s Coalition and The Family Resource Center.[30]

Committee assignments

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118th Congress
117th Congress[31]
Past memberships

Caucus memberships

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Personal life

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Plaskett is married to Jonathan Buckney Small, a community activist and former professional tennis player.[8] She has five children, four of them with Andre Duffy, her previous husband.[12] She has served on numerous nonprofit boards focused primarily on education, culture, and community development.[9] Plaskett is Lutheran.[37][38][39]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Stacey Elizabeth Plaskett-Duffy Profile | Washington, DC Lawyer". www.martindale.com.
  2. ^ "Stacey Plaskett". Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Archives of Women's Political Communication". Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics. Iowa State University. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Stacey Plaskett Running for Delegate". St. Croix Source. November 23, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  5. ^ Neumann, Sean (February 11, 2021). "How Virgin Islands Del. Stacey Plaskett Made History Arguing for Donald Trump's Impeachment". PEOPLE.com. People magazine. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  6. ^ "Representative Stacey E. Plaskett (1966 - )". congress.gov.
  7. ^ a b McDonough, Annie (March 9, 2021). "Del. Stacey Plaskett is a New Yorker at heart". City & State New York. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Nielsen, E. (February 10, 2019). "Stacey E. Plaskett (1966- )". BlackPast. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Candidate - Stacey E. Plaskett". Our Campaigns. December 29, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  10. ^ "Stacey Plaskett (F'88) Honored with Samuel A. Halsey Jr. Award". Georgetown University. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Leonard, Ben (February 10, 2021). "Raskin introduces former law student as impeachment manager". POLITICO. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Delegate Stacey Plaskett". Legistorm. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  13. ^ Thompson, Larry D. (May 6, 2003). "Department of Justice Diversity Initiatives" (PDF). U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  14. ^ "Biography". Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett. U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  15. ^ "Stacey Plaskett". Ballotpedia - The Encyclopedia of American Politics. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  16. ^ "CONGRESSWOMAN STACEY E. PLASKETT INITIATED INTO DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INCORPORATED". Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett. April 26, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  17. ^ Patrick, Holly (June 19, 2023). "Democratic lawmaker Stacey Plaskett accidentally says Trump 'needs to be shot' in slip-up on live TV". The Independent. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  18. ^ "Democrat slammed after accidentally saying Trump 'needs to be shot' before quickly correcting herself".
  19. ^ "SUMMARY REPORT USVI PRIMARY UNOFFICIAL RESULTS". Vivote.gov. August 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  20. ^ Lewin, Aldeth. "Stacey Plaskett Wins Race for Delegate to Congress". virginislandsdailynews.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  21. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ^ "Virgin Islands 2016 General Election". www.thegreenpapers.com. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  23. ^ "Summary report. Unofficial results". vivote.gov. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  24. ^ "13 GU Alumni Seek Congressional Seats". The Hoya. November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  25. ^ "Territorial Election Summary Results Report USVI General Election" (PDF). Election System of the Virgin Islands. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  26. ^ "Pelosi Names Impeachment Managers". speaker.gov. January 12, 2021.
  27. ^ "Plaskett Appointed as Ranking Member to House Select Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government". February 2, 2023.
  28. ^ Schapitl, Lexie; Grisales, Claudia (February 9, 2023). "House panel on 'weaponization' of the government's first hearing takes aim at DOJ, FBI". NPR. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023.
  29. ^ According to the FBI, O’Boyle "was suspended by the bureau because internal investigators had concluded that he leaked sensitive investigative information to the right-wing group Project Veritas". See Nobles, Ryan (June 8, 2023). "FBI agent who testified for Republicans was suspended over leaked sensitive information". NBC News. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  30. ^ Schwartz, Brian (July 9, 2019). "Democratic congresswoman from Virgin Islands reverses course, will donate campaign contributions from accused child molester Jeffrey Epstein". CNBC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  31. ^ "Member Profiles/Stacey E. Plaskett". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  32. ^ "Members". New Democrat Coalition. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  33. ^ "Membership". Congressional Black Caucus. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  34. ^ "Climate Solutions Caucus Members". Citizen´s Climate Lobby. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  35. ^ "Members". Congressional Blockchain Caucus. July 13, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  36. ^ "Members of the Caucus on U.S. - Türkiye Relations & Turkish Americans". Turkish Coalition of America. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  37. ^ "National Religious Partnership for the Environment - Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI-01)". www.congressweb.com. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  38. ^ "Public Invited To Plaskett Ceremonial Swearing-In, Service of Blessing". Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  39. ^ Mitchell, Travis (January 3, 2019). "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 116th Congress". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives
from the Virgin Islands' at-large congressional district
2015–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States delegates by seniority
3rd 		Succeeded by
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