Democrats are targeting Trump’s relationship with Epstein as part of strategy ahead of midterm elections
James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas, accused his rival Ken Paxton of “ignoring” survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse, as Democrats seek to increase pressure on Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Speaking in Dallas, where Republicans are holding a midterm convention this week, Talarico appeared alongside one of Epstein’s victims atan exhibitthat featured about 3.5m pages of Department of Justice’s files related to Epstein.
“When did pedophilia become a partisan issue? When did holding sexual abusers accountable become controversial?” Talarico said.
Talarico, who has emerged as one of the Democrats’ best hopes of winning one of the Republican Senate seats they need for a majority in the chamber, is among several members of his party appearing in Dallas this week, seeking to counter the Donald Trump-led convention.
Democrats have made it clear in recent days that highlighting Trump’s longtime friendship with Epstein, a convicted sex offender, will be part of their strategy ahead of the midterms, and Talarico sought to loop Paxton into the attack. Talarico said survivors of Epstein’s abuse had requested to meet with Paxton, the Texas attorney general, but he had refused.
“Our attorney general here inTexashas the power to get justice for these survivors, and he’s refusing to do so,” Talarico said.
He added: “Ken Paxton has two choices: he can stand with these survivors and get justice, or he can continue to cover up Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse. The choice is entirely his.”
The Epstein exhibit, which has previously been shown in New York, features row upon row of shelves holding all the files released so far related to Epstein. Critics say some of the documents released by the government revealed victim’s names, and that some material has been withheld.
Speaking inDallas, Sharlene Rochard, a survivor of Epstein’s abuse, said: “Questions remain about what hasn’t been released and why. Releasing only half of the documents is not transparency, and it cannot be where accountability ends.
“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.”
On WednesdayGina Hinojosa, the Democrat running against the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, visited the same exhibit, reinforcing that the focus on Trump’s relationship with Epstein will not go away.
“It’s really incredible that we live in a country where the justice system is so broken at every level that there has not been accountability of what we know was extensive sexual abuse, exploitation that happened for decades,” Hinojosa said, according to Associated Press. “And that powerful people who run this country are still living their lives without having been held to account.”
Elsewhere Democrats condemned Trump’s Wednesday night speechpromising a $5,000 “dividend”to all US adults if Republicans win the House of Representatives and Senate in November.
Beto O’Rourke, former US congressman and presidential candidate, told a roundtable hosted by Bloomberg News in Dallas: “I think people will take it for what it is – it’s a gimmick, it’s a bribe. It’s another promise that the president will be unable to fulfill … It adds to the stink of desperation that is emanating from that convention centre.”
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