US Virgin Islands delegate vies for impeachment manager position

Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) is vying for a House manager position in President Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate.

Plaskett sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) earlier this month requesting a spot on the House’s team for the trial, according to BuzzFeed News, which obtained the document. She said she seeks to represent black women and U.S. citizens who don’t have full voting rights.

“Appointing me one of the House Managers will indeed let the residents of the Territories and the District of Columbia know that they do indeed have a voice in the process,” she said, according to BuzzFeed News.

Virgin Island residents cannot vote for the president in the general election unless they become residents of one of the 50 U.S. states, and Plaskett is a nonvoting member of the House.

“The party says that black women are the base and our primary support, and there are five black women in the House who are attorneys and only two of us are former prosecutors,” Plaskett said.

Plaskett said she spoke to the other former prosecutor, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), who indicated she would support Plaskett in the role. 

In her letter, Plaskett reportedly highlighted her history as a prosecutor combating tobacco companies in the Department of Justice under a Republican administration. She also said her “long history of public service” as an assistant district attorney in New York and her anti-corruption prosecutions would be a “great asset” for the House team, BuzzFeed News reported. 

The Hill reached out to Plaskett and Pelosi for comment. 

The House is expected to impeach Trump on Wednesday, pushing the president to face a trial in the Senate. Pelosi will select which House representatives will argue the Democratic case in front of the GOP-controlled Senate.

The Senate is predicted to acquit the president of abuse of power and obstructing Congress.