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Join John OConnor for fearless conservative political commentary and investigative analysis on OConnors Right Stand. Each week, get unfiltered perspectives on current events, government accountability, and judicial failures that mainstream media wont cover. Hard-hitting episodes featuring in-depth political analysis, breaking news commentary, and the conservative viewpoints you need to hear.
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Good Thursday morning, Patriots, and welcome back to O'Connor's Right Stand. I'm your host, John O'Connor, software programmer by day, conservative choose seeker by night. Two days ago, something happened in the House of Representatives that should make every single American absolutely furious. Congress had a chance, a real chance, to hold someone accountable for coordinating with Jeffrey Epstein during an official congressional hearing, and they chose not to.
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Here's what makes it worse, patriots. It wasn't just Democrats protecting their own. Three Republicans joined them. And according to multiple GOP Congresswomen, it was all a part of a backroom deal to protect a Republican facing his own serious allegations. This is what the swamp looks like. This is why Americans don't trust Washington. And this is exactly the kind of corruption that needs to be dragged into the sunlight. The right stand starts now.
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Let's start with what we actually know. Last week, the House Oversight Committee released thousands of pages of documents from Jeffrey Epstein's estate. Emails, text messages, communications, all part of the ongoing investigation into one of the most notorious sex traffickers in American history. And buried, and I mean buried in those documents was something stunning. Text messages between Epstein and delegate Stacy Plaskett from the US Virgin Islands.
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exchanged during a February 2019 congressional hearing with Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney. Now, before we go further, let's be clear about who Jeffrey Epstein was at that time. Plaskett and her defenders keep saying it wasn't public knowledge he was under federal investigation. Patriots, that's a blatant lie, and it's an insult to everyone's intelligence. Jeffrey Epstein
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pleaded guilty in 2008, 11 years before this hearing, to solicitation of prostitution from a minor. Don't even get me started with that one. He was a registered sex offender. He served 13 months in jail. This wasn't some secret. This was public record. So when Plaskett says she didn't know who she was texting with, she's either lying or admitting she never bothered to check the background of someone who owned a private island in her district.
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an island that prosecutors would later describe as a central hub for sex trafficking operation. Either way, it doesn't look good. Now, let's talk about what those text messages actually show. The Washington Post analyzed the text and matched them with video footage from the hearing. And major props to Washington Post for finally doing a little bit of journalism here. But here's what happened. At 10.02 a.m. on February 27, 2019,
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Epstein texts Plaskett, great outfit. Then at 1022 a.m. You look great. Thanks, Plaskett responds. Then during the actual hearing, Epstein is watching in real time. He texts Plaskett. Cohen brought up Rona, keeper of the secrets. He's talking about Rona Graff, Trump's longtime executive assistant. Plaskett responds, Rona? She adds at 225 p.m. Quick, I'm up next. Is that an acronym?
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Three minutes later at 2.28pm Plaskett begins her questioning of Cohen, and guess what she asks about? Rona Graff, the exact person Epstein just told her to ask about. Are there other people we should be meeting with? Plaskett asks Cohen. She then specifically asks about Rona Graff. Cohen responds, Rona Graff is Mr. Trump's executive assistant. Her office is directly next to his, and she's involved in a lot of that what not.
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At 2.34pm, one minute after Plaskett wraps up her questioning, Epstein texts her, Good work. Patriots, this isn't a constituent providing general information. This is a real-time coaching during an official congressional hearing. This is a convicted sex offender telling a member of Congress what questions to ask and then congratulating her afterward. So, on Tuesday night, Representative Ralph Norman from South Carolina
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introduced a resolution to censor Plaskett. The resolution would have formally reprimanded her for inappropriate coordination with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and removed her from the House Intelligence Committee. Think about that for a second. Plaskett sits on the Intelligence Committee. She has access to classified briefings on matters of national security. She gets information from the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, and she's someone who coordinated with a sex trafficker
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during an official hearing. The resolution was straightforward. It said Plaskett's willingness to receive instructions on official congressional proceedings from Epstein, a convicted felony sex offender with deeply concerning international associations, is especially alarming and inappropriate given her own past service in the U.S. Department of Justice and her current role on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Norman said on the House floor,
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What we learn from the documents released by Jeffrey Epstein's estate is nothing short of alarming. Those documents show that Delegate Stacey Plaskett coordinated her questioning during an official oversight hearing with a man who was convicted sex offender, a man whose crimes against minors shocked this entire nation. Pretty clear cut, right, patriots? I mean, this should have been a slam dunk. The vote happened Tuesday night. Final tally?
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209 to 214. The censure failed. Every single Democrat voted against it. And that's not surprising. Democrats protect Democrats. That's what they do. But here's what is surprising. Three Republicans voted with the Democrats. Representatives Don Bacon from Nebraska, Lance Gooden from Texas, and Dave Joyce from Ohio all voted no. Three more Republicans voted present.
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So that's six Republicans who couldn't bring themselves to censure a colleague who was being coached by Jeffrey Epstein during a congressional hearing. Why? What possible reason could there be? That's where the story gets really interesting. Representative Anna Paulina Luna from Florida didn't wait long to drop the bombshell. Minutes after the vote failed, she posted on X, the plasca censure failed because House leadership exchanged that censure failure.
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for the withdrawal of a vote to censor and refer Cory Mills to House ethics for investigation. The swamp protects itself. Then she tried to speak on the House floor. I was wondering if the Speaker of the House can explain why leadership on both sides, both Democrat and Republican, are cutting back room deals to cover up public corruption in the House of Representatives from both Republican and Democrat members of Congress. Her inquiry
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was rejected for not following proper protocols. But Representative Lauren Boebert could be heard yelling from the floor, get it girl. Boebert herself was furious. Her exact words weren't clearly audible, but multiple reports confirmed she was yelling and wagging her finger at other Republicans. At one point, she confronted Representative Cory Mills directly. She was then later heard telling colleagues, this is why America hates us.
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Representative Tim Burchett from Tennessee posted a video saying, am totally disgusted with this bunch of losers. He told Newsmax the next day, this place isn't a swamp, it's the sewer. Representative Kat Kamach from Florida wrote on X, tonight a handful of Republicans took a dive on a vote to strip Stacey Plaskett of her position on House Intel because of her ties to Epstein.
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They did it to protect a Republican facing his own ethic issues from a similar vote. This backroom deal blank is swampy, wrong, and always deserves to be called out. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene laid it all out. Three Republicans crossed the aisle and voted with Democrats to stop the Plaskett censure resolution in a swap so that Democrats would not bring up the Corey Mills censure resolution.
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for alleged physical assaults and threatening to release pornography on an ex-girlfriend, and ethics violations and questionable military record. Patriots, this is the swamp. This is what corruption looks like. Both parties working together to protect their own instead of holding people accountable. So who is this Cory Mills guy that Republicans are so desperate to protect? Representative Cory Mills is a Republican from Florida's 7th District.
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and he's been at the center of multiple controversies this year. On October 14th, just last month, a Florida court issued a final judgment of injunction for protection against dating violence against Mills. His ex-girlfriend had accused him of harassing her, threatening to release intimate photos and videos of her, and threatening to harm her future romantic partners after their breakup. There are also allegations of stolen valor.
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Mills claims he was awarded a Bronze Star for his military service, but according to reporting from the Daytona Beach News Journal, two service members dispute that Mills was involved in their rescue or provided life-saving care. Representative Nancy Mace even released a transcript of a call she says she had with retired Brigadier General Arnold Gordon Bray, who said he did not authorize the paperwork for Mills' Bronze Star. Then there are the ethics violations.
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The Office of Congressional Conduct found in August 2024 that companies owned by Mills secured nearly $1 million in federal contracts for munitions and weapons while he was serving in Congress. Well, that's potentially a violation of House rules, standards of conduct, and federal law. Then there's more. In February, D.C. police were called to Mills' residence for a report of assault. A 27-year-old woman
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identified in police reports as Mills' significant other, accused him of grabbing her, shoving her, and pushing her out the door. However, what really gets me is, this isn't the first time this has happened. This is the third time Democrats have used the threat of censuring Corey Mills to kill Republican censor efforts against their own members. In September, Republicans moved to censor Representative LaMonica McKeever from New Jersey
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over a confrontation she had with ICE officers. Democrats immediately threatened to censure Mills. The McKeever censure was tabled. Later that same month, Republicans tried to censure Representative Ilhan Omar for comments she made about the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Democrats again threatened to censure Mills. Mills himself voted against censoring Omar, one of only four Republicans to do so. The Omar censure?
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failed. And now this. Republicans tried to censure Plaskett for coordinating with Epstein. Democrats threatened to censure Mills. The Plaskett censure fails. Three times. Three separate instances where the threat of exposing Corey Mills has been enough to kill accountability measures against Democrats. Yesterday, Representative Nancy Mace introduced a privileged resolution to censure Mills
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and remove him from both the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees. A privileged resolution means GOP leadership has to act on it within two legislative days. There will be a vote by tomorrow. May said, I will not stand by while women risk everything to come forward with credible allegations of abuse and threats. I will not stay silent while a member of Congress may be lining his pockets through federal contracts.
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And I will not look the other way while allegations of stolen valor, a slap in the face to every veteran who earned their service and sacrifice goes unchecked. I she's right. But patriots, the question is, will enough Republicans actually vote to hold him accountable? Or will leadership find another way to protect him? Now let's talk about how Plaskett defended herself on the House floor Tuesday night. Because her defense tells you everything you need to know about how arrogant these people are.
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I got a text from Jeffrey Epstein, who at the time was my constituent, Plaskett said. It was not public knowledge at that time he was under a federal investigation. Again, Patriots, he was a convicted sex offender. He had been since 2008. That's public record. You can look it up in five seconds. She continued, I don't need to get advice on how to question anybody from any individual. I have been a lawyer for 30 years. I have been a narcotics prosecutor in New York City.
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I have had the honor of being a political appointee at the Justice Department after September 11th. I know how to question individuals." If you know how to question individuals, why were you texting with Epstein asking, quick, I'm up next, is that an acronym? About a name he just gave you? That doesn't sound like someone who had everything prepared in advance. At least to me. And then she had the audacity to turn it around on Republicans. You want to talk about texting felons?
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How often do you text President Donald J. Trump? That's her defense, Patriots, comparing the President of the United States to Jeffrey Epstein. Representative Jamie Raskin from Maryland, who was Plaskett's law professor, by the way, jumped in to defend her. He kept calling Epstein a constituent and tried to downplay the whole thing as just a lawmaker communicating with someone from her district. But, Patriots, this isn't about casual communication with a constituent.
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This is about being coached in real time during a congressional hearing by a convicted sex offender. This is about asking questions he suggested. This is about getting congratulated by him when you're done. That's called coordination. And it's exactly what the censor resolution said it was. Here's what the story is really about, patriots. It's not just about Stacy Plaskett. It's not just about Corey Mills.
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It's about a broken system that protects its own at all costs. Think about what happened Tuesday night. Congress, the same day, voted 427 to 1 to force the Department of Justice to release all of its files on Jeffrey Epstein. The Senate passed it unanimously. It's heading to President Trump's desk. Both parties, working together, demanding transparency about Epstein's crimes and his connections. But then,
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Just hours later, when they had a chance to hold accountable one of their own members who was literally being coached by Epstein during a hearing, they protected her. The same lawmakers who stood on the House floor demanding the Epstein files be released turned around and voted to protect someone who was texting with him. And Republicans, some of them anyway, were complicit in that protection because they were more worried about their own guy getting exposed. This is the swamp patriots.
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This is why approval ratings for Congress are in the toilet. This is why Americans are fed up with Washington. You have got Democrats who will demand accountability for everyone except themselves. And you've got establishment Republicans or RINOs who will cut deals to protect their members rather than stand on principle. But I want to end on something that gives me hope, because not all Republicans are going along with this. Annapolina Luna stood on that House floor and demanded answers.
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She called out leadership on both sides. Lauren Boebert was yelling at her colleagues, making it clear this was unacceptable. Kat Kamach called it swampy and said it deserves to be called out. Nancy Mace is forcing a vote on Mills, refusing to let this slide. Even Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's had her own battles with Trump lately over the Epstein files, laid out exactly what happened. These women are not backing down. They are not playing the game.
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They are demanding accountability even when it's politically inconvenient. That's what leadership looks like, Patriots. That's what courage looks like. Standing up for what's right even when your own party leadership wants you to sit down and shut up. Tim Burchett and a few other guys are with them too. But I've got to say, it's mostly the women in the Republican Conference who are showing the spine here. Well, that's it for today, Patriots.
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Two days ago, the House of Representatives had a chance to hold someone accountable for coordinating with Jeffrey Epstein during an official congressional hearing. They chose not to. And according to multiple sources, they made that choice to protect another member facing serious allegations. This is the swamp. This is corruption in action. Both parties protecting their own instead of doing what's right. But there are members fighting back.
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Annapolina Luna, Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert, Kat Kmach, Tim Burchett, and others are refusing to play along. They are demanding accountability, they are calling out the backroom deals, and they are not letting this go. We need more like them, because if we are ever going to drain this swamp, it's going to take people willing to stand up to their own party leadership and say, enough.
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If you want to support the show, head over to O'Connor's rightstand.com and follow me on X at O'Connor podcasts. Deep dives every Tuesday and Thursday. Quick strike podcasts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Until Tuesday, Patriots, stay strong, stay informed and stay unapologetically American. This is John O'Connor signing off.