‘Squad’ Members Enjoy Donor-Funded Resort Weekend in Virgin Islands
A group of left-wing congresswomen enjoyed some fun in the sun during a glitzy junket to the U.S. Virgin Islands in June—with donors picking up the check—records reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon show.
Among the attendees of the “Women’s Retreat Weekend” at the Westin St. Thomas Beach were OG squad members like Reps. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) and Ayanna Pressley (D., Mass.), as well as rising progressive stars like Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D., Texas).
A flyer for the event also shows Reps. Yvette Clarke (D., N.Y.), Valerie Foushee (D., N.C.), Lucy McBath (D., Ga.), and Emilia Sykes (D., Ohio) as attendees, though representatives for Foushee told the Free Beacon she did not ultimately make the trip.
While Virgin Islands delegate Stacey Plaskett (D.) did not mention race in any advertising for the gathering she hosted, it does not appear that she invited any white women. In fact, Crockett used the retreat to bemoan the way the United States treats black women.
“It is sad to say that, specifically in our country, it has never really been an okay time to be a black woman,” she said as other guests sipped mimosas. “But I can tell you, being the 55th black woman elected to Congress who decides that she won’t back down from anything, it’s not necessarily a peaceful time.”
Most of the women on the trip represent safely blue seats in the House of Representatives, but Sykes hails from a swing district that encompasses the industrial Akron area. She faced criticism in the past for launching a joint fundraising committee with Crockett just weeks after the Texas congresswoman made fun of Texas governor Greg Abbott (R.) for being in a wheelchair.
Her campaign donors picked up the tab for her trip and for a $2,000 bill at the Buoy Haus beach resort—where caviar runs $175 per ounce—just down the road from the Westin at Frenchman’s Reef. McBath stayed there for about the same price, having her donors take care of the check.
Tickets to the weekend-long experience cost a cool $5,000, which included fine dining, gift bags, and on-site yoga, photos show.
Attendees also watched a presentation from the “Freedom Chaser Club,” an organization led by local life coach Nichole Knight, who sells branded merchandise on her website.
The blowout cost Plaskett more than $11,000, Federal Election Commission records show.
Plaskett is a non-voting delegate to the House—a status she frequently complains about—but has nevertheless found ways to make waves. She said on live television in June 2023 that President Donald Trump “needs to be shot” before quickly clarifying that she meant “stopped.” Plaskett also solicited donations and support from Jeffrey Epstein long after the financier’s history of sexual deviancy became public.
The ladies of summer returned to D.C. later that month, where they all promptly voted against a measure condemning recent riots in Los Angeles.
Representatives for each of the congresswomen aside from Foushee did not respond to Free Beacon requests for comment.
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