James Talarico called on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to sue the U.S. Department of Justice over the "mishandling" of the Epstein files during a Thursday morning news conference with Epstein survivors.
Talarico joined the survivors at the Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room - a traveling tribute to the survivors and an installation that details the relationship between the two men. The installation is part of a traveling exhibit displaying millions of pages of Epstein-related records in Dallas.
"When did pedophilia become a partisan issue? When did holding sexual abusers accountable become controversial?" Talarico said. "When did [Paxton] decide it was okay to ignore these survivors?"
Talarico called out Paxton's unwillingness to agree to survivors' requests to meet. Annie Farmer and Sharlene Rochard, two survivors, echoed the Austin Democrat's call.
Farmer thanked Talarico for "standing with us in holding the DOJ accountable for these failures."
"We have invited Ken Paxton to do the same; hopefully, he decides to join us," Farmer said. "I'd like to remind people of the fact that these government failures have occurred across five presidencies, because I am tired of the oversimplified polarization of this case. The truth is, of course, more complicated."
Farmer also criticized U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, saying that Cornyn declined to meet with survivors and instead voted to confirm U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who they argue allowed for the nonconsensual release of survivors' photos and names.
The American-Statesman reached out to Cornyn and Paxton for comment.
"If James Talarico was really concerned about the survivors of Epstein's horrific crimes, his campaign infrastructure wouldn't have taken over $11.5 million from Epstein's long time associate, Reid Hoffman," Noah Jennings, a spokesperson for Paxton, told the American-Statesman. "Now, James Talarico continues to lie to Texans about his radical record with the help of Epstein money. It's disgusting that the man claiming to run a campaign against billionaires is bought and paid for by Epstein's billionaire buddy."
Notably, Jennings' comment refers to Hoffman's $11.5 million donation this year to Lone Star Rising, a super PAC backing Talarico. Super PACs cannot legally coordinate with candidates, and Talarico has said he does not have control over how the PAC operates.
Farmer and Rochard said the case went beyond partisan politics, criticizing the "oversimplified polarization of this case" and reminding those in attendance that "these government failures" occurred across five presidencies.
"I urge people to read the files, to follow the evidence, no matter where they lead. And when those leads reach someone wealthy, famous, politically connected, Republican or Democrat, keep following them, because justice that stops when it reaches power is not justice," Rochard stated.
Farmer is the younger sister of Maria Farmer, who first reported Epstein and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, to the FBI in 1996. Maria's artwork is on display in the traveling memorial.
Rochard and Farmer advocated for the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Rochard spoke on her background as a model and how that led to her experiences with trafficking; she called on more safeguards around such industries that expose children to danger.
"I remember being here at the beginning of my modeling career, going to castings, working, seeing myself in fashion magazines, and believing that if I worked hard enough, anything was possible," she said. "I was young. I was ambitious, and I trusted the adults around me. No one taught me about grooming. No one taught me about trafficking. No one warned me that the very things that looked like opportunity, travel, introductions, access to powerful people, could also be used to exploit."
The traveling tribute displays shelves of the "Epstein" files, a candle memorial and a photo timeline of the pair's connections. The pop-up is currently based in Dallas and has been on display there since Tuesday, just days before the GOP convention kicked off. The exhibition opened in Dallas on Sept. 8, the same week as the Republican midterm convention.
The installation is set to travel across the country.
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This article originally published at James Talarico calls on Ken Paxton to sue the DOJ over 'mishandling' of Epstein files.