Several co-hosts on ABC’s The View publicly criticized Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) on Thursday after she accused multiple Republican figures of taking campaign donations from “Jeffrey Epstein”—a claim that now appears to have been based on mistaken identity.
During her remarks on the House floor, Crockett named prominent Republicans—including Lee Zeldin, Mitt Romney, and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)—as having received money from “somebody named Jeffrey Epstein.” But Federal Election Commission records show that the donations actually came from a different Jeffrey Epstein, a physician, not the infamous sex offender.
On The View, co-host Joy Behar expressed frustration and exasperation over the misstatement. “Okay, yes, a different [Jeffrey Epstein] … It’s so confusing and annoying!” she said.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, another co-host, said Crockett’s rush to make the allegation spoke to a larger problem with how politicians handle powerful scandals. “This is why people get so frustrated with politicians. … Something horrible was done … but people care more about, ‘my team didn’t do it, your team did,’” Griffin remarked.
Sara Haines called for Crockett to admit her mistake, rather than lean on political spin. “When you’re going to throw out an accusation that big … just own it, say it was a mistake, and move on,” she urged. “To then try to say, ‘well, they lie and we don’t lie,’ … it just fuels distrust in Congress and our politicians.”
Crockett defended herself on CNN, explaining that her team had only about 20 minutes to prepare before her floor remarks, so they did a quick Google search rather than a detailed FEC review. She insisted she never explicitly named that Jeffrey Epstein, saying, “I made sure I was clear that it was a Jeffrey Epstein … but I never said it was specifically that Jeffrey Epstein.”
Republicans, including Zeldin, blasted her for making misleading claims. Zeldin responded that the Epstein who donated to him was a physician, not the notorious financier.
Critics argue Crockett’s error undermines her credibility—especially given the sensitivity and severity of Epstein-related allegations. The View panel’s harsh take reflects wider frustration over the consequences of political grandstanding without adequate fact-checking.
