Rep. Stacey E. Plaskett may not have a vote on the floor of Congress, but America heard her voice

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Photo Courtesy of Rep. Stacey E. Plaskett Twitter @staceyplaskett

Representative Stacey E. Plaskett (D-USVI) made history as the first non-voting congressional delegate to serve as a House impeachment manager.

Representative Plaskett’s journey toward greatness began long ago. Prior to her education at Georgetown University, where she served as class president, Rep. Plaskett was one of few Black students to attend the prestigious Choate Rosemary Hall. She was later honored by Georgetown with the prestigious Samuel A. Halsey Jr. Award from Georgetown University in 2016.

Plaskett has challenged the status quo at every turn. She was raised in both the Bushwick, NY housing projects and John F. Kennedy housing community on St. Croix. In an interview with her alma mater, Plaskett said, “My parents explained to me at a young age that although they didn’t have a lot of money–my dad was a New York City cop and my mom worked in the court system–my greatest inheritance from them would be my education.”

A mother of two when she entered her juris doctorate program at American University, Plaskett would eventually study under current Representative Jamie Raskin, the lead House Impeachment Manager. Fate led both; first to the halls of Congress, and later into the history books as impeachment managers for the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.

Prior to her role in the history-setting second impeachment, Plaskett served as Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx, and later as Senior Counsel in the Department of Justice. Plaskett later returned to her ancestral homelands of the Virgin Islands.

Plaskett has been a fierce advocate for equal representation for American citizens living in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In congress, she holds a unique position: as a non-voting representative, Rep Plaskett can vote within her assigned committees, but lacks the power to vote on final bills. But despite this limitation, Rep. Stacey E. Plaskett has a powerful voice in American politics today as she prosecutes the case for former President Trump’s impeachment.

From her place at the podium, Plaskett quickly eviscerated the disgraced former President for praising his supporters who tried to run a Biden-Harris campaign bus off an active highway; the bus was full of Biden supporters and campaign staff. She highlighted the myriad of ways Trump encouraged his supporters as their behavior increasingly escalated toward violence.

Plaskett was also tasked with walking the jury step-by-step through the Capitol breach. Her presentation was meticulous — and chilling. At one point, Plaskett provided information from former Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, whose heroic actions not only earned him the position of United States Senate Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms for undoubtedly saving the lives of former Vice-President Mike Pence, his family, and countless others. Rep Plaskett also played previously-unreleased pleas for help from Capitol Police to their dispatchers.

Plaskett carefully outlined the timeline between Nancy Pelosi’s last staffer entering her office, and the moment insurrectionists entered the outside hallway and broke through the door. The third in line for the Presidency, Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, had already been evacuated. Her staff, however, were later found hiding under a table in an interior room within the Speaker’s office. On a call with Capitol police, one staffer’s voice is filled with terror as he whispers frantically into a phone, begging Capitol Police to help them.

Representative Stacey E. Plaskett – the American people owe you a debt of gratitude for your service on our behalf today.

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Author’s Note: In 2020, Plaskett traveled to Oklahoma for an event spotlighting Justice for Julius Jones, who is currently on death row. The event, hosted by Black Wall Street Times editor-in-chief Nehemiah Frank, was held at Vernon AME church in the historic Greenwood District. Plaskett was moved to tears when Antoinette Jones, Julius Jones’ sister, called him on speakerphone so he could thank attendees for their support.

Plaskett later joined former Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor at Silhouette Sneakers & Art where she purchased gifts for her family.

Representative Stacey E. Plaskett is a member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. sorority.

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