Three survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse and independent journalist Tara Palmeri were escorted from the Republican midterm convention in Dallas after Palmeri questioned a congressional candidate about the government's handling of Epstein records, according to Palmeri's account and video she published from the Sept. 10 event. Palmeri said her press credential was revoked and she was warned that returning to the American Airlines Center could result in a trespassing arrest.
Palmeri said she had been properly credentialed as media, while the three survivors accompanying her held guest passes and had passed convention security. Her producer was also with the group. Palmeri said they carried no signs and weren't staging a protest when security approached them roughly 35 minutes after they entered the arena.
The removal occurred shortly after Palmeri interviewed Robert Burke, a candidate for Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District, about the Justice Department's release of Epstein-related records. Federal Election Commission records list Burke as a 2026 candidate for the seat.
Palmeri began the exchange by telling Burke, "I'm going to start with kind of a tough question. I'm with some survivors of Jeffrey Epstein." Burke responded, "Okay, that's a great topic," before saying the public should know what happened "from the beginning," according to Palmeri's published account of the encounter.
She questioned Burke about why millions of pages collected by the Justice Department hadn't been publicly released and whether he would support additional disclosure if elected. One of the survivors also asked whether he would back accountability for anyone implicated "regardless of their party affiliation."
Burke indicated support for further disclosure and said, "unlawful touching is unlawful touching" and "consent is consent," according to Palmeri's account. The interview ended without an apparent confrontation, and Palmeri said Burke shook her hand and gave her his card.
Within minutes, security personnel approached the group and questioned whether they were carrying signs, Palmeri said. She denied that they had any and pointed to their clear bags before explaining that she was credentialed press and that the survivors had authorized guest passes.
When one security employee told her, "This isn't even where media sits," Palmeri replied, "We're allowed to talk to guests. We're allowed to talk to people. That's why we're here. We're media." The group was then escorted toward the exit, according to her account.
Palmeri said she fell on a staircase during the removal. By roughly 2:40 p.m., about 35 minutes after entering the building, she and the survivors were outside the security barricade, where Palmeri said she was told she was barred from the facility and could be arrested for trespassing if she returned.
The Republican National Committee hadn't publicly provided Palmeri with an explanation for the removal as of her latest update. Palmeri wrote on Sept. 13 that she still hadn't received a response after asking the RNC why she and the survivors had been removed and why her press credential had been revoked.
Palmeri and the survivors have said they believe the questions about Epstein prompted the response, but the available record doesn't establish that as the reason for their removal. No public statement from the RNC has identified a convention rule they violated or linked the decision directly to the Burke interview.
One of the survivors, Marijke Chartouni, said she noticed a plainclothes woman standing behind the group and making a phone call shortly before security arrived. That observation doesn't establish that the call was related to the subsequent ejection, and no independent evidence has publicly tied the two events together.
The confrontation occurred amid continuing disputes over how much of the federal government's Epstein material has been released. The Justice Department said in January that it had made public nearly 3.5 million pages under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.
DOJ said it initially identified more than six million pages that could potentially be responsive, but that the total included extensive duplication across investigations and offices. The department said other material was withheld or redacted because of victim-identifying information, privilege, statutory protections, court orders and sexually explicit content involving victims.
The Justice Department's Epstein Library, which remained active as of Sept. 11, says materials have been redacted to protect victims and other private individuals and that additional records will be added if they are identified for release. The online repository also includes material released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Palmeri's interview with Burke focused in part on the difference between the roughly six million pages initially gathered for review and the approximately 3.5 million pages ultimately released. The department has said the gap shouldn't be interpreted simply as millions of responsive documents being withheld because its initial collection deliberately over-included duplicates and other material to avoid missing potentially responsive records.
The survivors were already in Dallas in connection with a separate Epstein Files Reading Room, where released government material had been made available for examination. Epstein-related disclosures had become one of several issues drawing political attention around the Republican convention, which brought President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other party figures to the American Airlines Center ahead of the midterm elections.
Palmeri, a former Politico and Puck reporter who publishes The Red Letter, continued releasing video and a detailed chronology of the confrontation after leaving the convention. "I was credentialed. The three Epstein survivors with me had guest passes. We had no signs. 35 minutes after we walked in, I was outside the barricade and told I could be arrested if I returned," she wrote.
