NEGOP Demands Dems Return Money Over Donor's Epstein-Ties
by Matthew Balan
Mary Jane Truemper, chairman of the Nebraska Republican Party, took aim at several current Democratic political candidates on Thursday. They all received donations from former Nebraska Governor Bob Kerrey, who met multiple times with Jeffrey Epstein, including after his conviction for a sex crime.
The party’s Thursday press release “called on all Nebraska political candidates and organizations to immediately return political contributions received from former Nebraska governor and failed U.S. Senate candidate Bob Kerrey following his inclusion in U.S. Department of Justice records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.”
The Republican Party document gave details on how “Kerrey directed political contributions to multiple Nebraska Democrat candidates and organizations in 2025.” Besides the thousands of dollars to the individual candidates, the former governor contributed “$5,000 to Onward Lincoln, a Lincoln-based political organization that separately gave tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and the Nebraska Democratic Party in 2025.”
Truemper bluntly stated that “Nebraskans—and frankly all Americans—should be outraged that Bob Kerrey, a former Democrat governor and failed U.S. Senate candidate who remains politically active supporting Nebraska Democrats, appears repeatedly in connection with Jeffrey Epstein.” She added that “Kerrey’s repeated presence in these records, including multiple documented meetings, reflects a staggering failure of judgment and moral responsibility.”
The state party leader singled out several Democrats and political organizations by name, as they accepted Kerrey’s donations—including “[U.S. congressional candidate] John Cavanaugh, [Board of Regents candidate] Brent Comstock, [former U.S. congressional candidate] Tony Vargas, the Sarpy County Democrats, Onward Lincoln and others.” She emphasized that “this is a moment for absolute moral clarity...There is no acceptable explanation, no political excuse and no gray area. Although there is no illegality alleged, accepting this money is an insult to victims and a betrayal of the public trust.”
Kerrey, in a statement to The Plains Sentinel, said the press release was a “political attack” that he believed continued to “trivialize” Epstein’s crimes. “As tempting as it is to respond to a political attack with a political response,” Kerrey said. “This would continue to trivialize the situation currently endured by the victims of Epstein’s operation.”
“They are demanding justice and deserve justice,” he added.
The Republican press release cited a February 8, 2026 report from The New School Free Press, a student-led newspaper at the private university in New York City. Kerrey served as The New School’s president from 2001 to 2010. The former governor’s first meeting with Epstein took place in 2013, five years after Epstein was convicted and pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from children.
According to documents released by the Department of Justice, Kerrey met at least five times with Epstein between 2013 and 2014. In a statement, the former governor said he could only remember one of the times he met and that he was attempting to get Epstein to donate to Minerva University.
A residence hall at The New School, dedicated the same year as Kerrey’s first meeting with the convicted sex offender, bears the Democratic politician’s name. It was the target of vandalism two days after the report from The New School Free Press. An unknown individual spray-painted “Epstein Hall” outside the building’s entrance.
Kerrey Hall was vandalized a second time this week after Kerrey’s name was crossed out on the building and replaced with Epstein’s name.
Just over a week earlier, independent U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn, who was also targeted by Nebraska Republicans on Thursday, cancelled a fundraising event planned for February 10, due to one of the co-hosts, Democratic operative Dana Chasin, having been mentioned in the Epstein files for allegedly transporting young girls on behalf of the convicted sex offender.
Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, responded to the GOP press release by calling on Nebraska Republicans to reject Trump’s endorsement over his appearance in the Epstein files.
“Every Nebraska Republican who has taken a Donald Trump endorsement needs to rescind it, including Jim Pillen, Pete Ricketts, Adrian Smith, and Mike Flood, because Trump is named in the Epstein files over 1,000 times.”
Matthew Balan is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel and a longtime writer for the Media Research Center’s NewsBusters.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect a statement from Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party.
