Two Democratic Senate candidates are facing heat for accepting donations from a billionaire with ties to Jeffrey Epstein — even as they used Epstein’s name to attack their political opponents.
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James Talarico, running for Senate in Texas, and Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia have both accepted donations from Reid Hoffman, a billionaire who has admitted to visiting Epstein’s private island. Hoffman donated $11.5 million to a Talarico-aligned super PAC and $7,000 — the legal maximum — directly to Ossoff’s campaign.
The problem? Both men have publicly used the phrase “Epstein class” to go after billionaires. Talarico said, “The Epstein Class has no place in Texas.” Ossoff called the MAGA movement “the Epstein class, ruling our country.” Now they’re being called out for taking millions from a man tied to Epstein himself.
From Just the News:
“Democrats like Jon Ossoff and James Talarico vilify corporate billionaires in one breath and accept their cash in the next,” one GOP operative told Fox News.
“[The] evidence paints a clear picture that Reid Hoffman has established a dark-money empire that channels anonymous donations through nonprofits and PACs to influence federal elections and judicial nominations,” Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis wrote to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
Hoffman has since apologized for his association with Epstein, telling Axios that “by agreeing to participate in any fundraising activity where Epstein was present, I helped to repair his reputation and perpetuate injustice. For this, I am deeply regretful.”
Documents released by the Trump administration earlier this year showed Hoffman had planned visits to multiple Epstein properties, including Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse and his private island.
Hoffman is not the first Democrat donor to face this kind of scrutiny. In December, the DOJ accused Sens. Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse of accepting Hoffman’s money as well. The DOJ’s letter noted more than 1,650 contributions — over $76 million — from Hoffman to Democrats and Democrat-aligned causes.
This story is a reminder that words are cheap. It is easy to condemn evil in the abstract. It is harder to refuse money that comes with strings attached — or a troubling history. As intercessors we are called to let our actions match our words. Let us pray that our leaders would be people of integrity, willing to stand by their convictions even when it costs them something.
Share your scriptures and prayers below.
(Excerpt from Just the News. Photo Credit: Oba San via Canva Teams)
