Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) is facing sharp criticism after accusing EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin of taking campaign donations from “Jeffrey Epstein”—but public records show she had the wrong Epstein.
During a House floor speech, Crockett said that her team “dig in very quickly” and found that several GOP figures—including Zeldin, Mitt Romney, and George Bush—had accepted money from “somebody named Jeffrey Epstein.”
However, FEC records reveal that the donor in Zeldin’s case was Dr. Jeffrey Epstein, a New York physician, not the late financier and sex offender for which Epstein is infamous. Zeldin responded strongly on X (formerly Twitter):
“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!!!”
Crockett defended herself on CNN, saying she never claimed it was the convicted Epstein. “I made sure that I was clear that it was a Jeffrey Epstein, but I never said that it was specifically that Jeffrey Epstein,” she explained, adding that she and her team needed more time to verify which Epstein made the donation.
She also blamed the timing: “I literally had maybe 20 minutes before I had to do that debate,” she said, noting that her team did a quick online search rather than a full FEC deep dive.
Critics, including political commentators and conservative media, have seized on the error. Some argue it undermines her credibility just as she’s pushing for transparency via her efforts to force the release of Epstein-related files.
Others point out more troubling details: per FEC data, Crockett’s team may have been misled by “troll” donations. Entries in the FEC database reportedly list a donor name “Jeffrey Epstein” with an occupation listed as “CHILD MOLESTOR” and employer as “JEFFREY EPSTEIN.”
In a related move, Crockett this week sent a letter to the DOJ and FBI demanding full disclosure of Trump-Epstein-related documents. She cited newly released emails and longstanding allegations of Trump’s connection with Epstein, demanding the public get the full truth.
As the fallout continues, the misidentification has drawn bipartisan mockery and raised serious questions about her campaign’s vetting process—and her handling of politically explosive issues.
