TX State Rep. Talarico: Greg Abbott is the 'greatest public safety threat' in our state
Texas State Rep. James Talarico claimed that Gov. Greg Abbott is the greatest threat to Texans' public safety while appearing on MSNBC's "The ReidOut" Monday
Texas State Rep. James Talarico had harsh words for his governor while appearing on MSNBC’s "The ReidOut" on Monday.
Talarico was invited on a panel discussing the recently released bodycam footage from a police officer at the Uvalde mass shooting. Additional reports found nearly 400 officers present at the scene but failing to act for over an hour. The footage was heavily criticized for what many considered abjectly poor behavior by the authorities.
Many Democrats, including gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke, have specifically criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for the shooting, claiming that he is "doing nothing."
Talarico not only accused Abbott of doing nothing but also suggested that he was responsible for the victims’ deaths, as well as the deaths from Covid-19.
Law enforcement officers stage in a hallway after Salvador Ramos entered Robb Elementary school to kill 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, U.S. May 24, 2022 in a still image from surveillance video. Inset: Texas Governor Greg Abbott holds a news conference with state agencies and local officials at Uvalde High School. (Texas House Investigative Committee, Inset: REUTERS/Marco Bello)
"You know me well and I try to be careful with what I say but Texans are dying. The kids in Uvalde, the teachers in Uvalde, the hundreds of Texas who died during the blackout last year, the Texans who died needlessly from Covid-19 because our governor chose to open bars too early in the pandemic. Greg Abbott is the greatest public safety threat in our state. He is the greatest public safety threat to Texans right now," Talarico said.
He also used the time to campaign for Beto O’Rourke who is currently running against Abbott for governor in November.
"So we need to elect Beto O’Rourke our next governor. I don’t say that as a Democrat. I don't say that as a member of the blue team. I say that as a Texan who wants to see my constituents, who wants my neighbors kept safe. That’s – that’s what is at stake in this election. This is beyond party politics. This is about public safety in every sense of the word," Talarico said.
UVALDE, TX - MAY 25: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke interrupts a press conference held by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott following a shooting yesterday at Robb Elementary School which left 21 dead including 19 children, on May 25, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. (Photo by Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images)
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On Monday, Abbott called the latest report "beyond disturbing", demanded "critical changes" and pledged to continue to work with state lawmakers to reform public safety. In addition, his office invested more than $105 million to enhance school safety and mental health services as well as $5 million for a family resilience center in Uvalde.
Despite this, Talarico continued to attack Republicans.
"This report shows that Uvalde had everything Republicans claim we need. We had hundreds of good guys with a gun. We had hardened security. We had a reduced number of doors. The only thing those students and those teachers in Uvalde didn’t have was sane gun policy," Talarico said, despite the report finding that law enforcement officers waited outside the classroom for over an hour as the shooter continued firing his weapon.
A banner hangs at a memorial outside Robb Elementary School on Friday, June 3. (AP/Eric Gay)
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"You know, we as a country are not an outlier in school security. We’re not an outlier in mental health. We are an outlier in the number of readily accessible weapons of war, and until we address that, we’re never going to protect our children and our educators," he continued. "You know, as a teacher, I can say that nothing will ever change, nothing until we love our children more than we love our guns."