WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • James Talarico attacked the SAVE Act in August, claiming it threatened Black Americans’ voting rights.
  • The House passed legislation would require citizenship documents for federal voter registration and photo identification when casting a ballot.
  • Talarico later claimed ignorance about the SAVE Act during a CNN candidate forum and instead endorsed the FAIR Voter ID proposal.
  • Scott Jennings accused Talarico of lying and called him “more slippery than a wet panther.”

Democrat James Talarico is under fire after attacking the SAVE Act in August, then claiming ignorance about the measure during a CNN candidate forum on Wednesday night. The sequence drew a blunt response from Scott Jennings, who accused Talarico of lying about election rules.

The controversy began with Talarico portraying the SAVE Act as an attack on voting rights, particularly those of Black Americans. His August statement invoked human destiny, voting, civil rights, and what he described as rights given by God.

Talarico said, “We as human beings have the right to shape our own destinies, and we do that through the vote. And so many brave Americans, so many brave Black Americans have fought and died for that right. And so for politicians in Austin or in Washington, as they’re now doing with the SAVE Act, they are trying to rob our neighbors, particularly our Black neighbors, of those God-given rights. So I’ve had— I have a track record of, of using every tool in my toolbox to protect voting rights.”

Those remarks directly connected the legislation to race and alleged that politicians were trying to rob Black Americans of voting rights. The Gateway Pundit sharply rejected that characterization and accused Talarico of pushing a lie about what the proposal actually does.

Gold. Upgraded. Buy real gold from $1. Store it in America. Sell it with one click.

MORE NEWS: Peggy Flanagan Handed Known Fraudster Another Term on Minnesota’s Soft on Crime Board [WATCH]

The SAVE America Act is formally known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. The bill passed the House with Republican backing and would establish documentary citizenship requirements for people registering to vote in federal elections.

Under the legislation, prospective voters would need to provide proof of United States citizenship. Acceptable documentation could include a passport, a birth certificate accompanied by photo identification, or certain other government documents.

The proposal would also require photo identification when casting a ballot.

Talarico’s August attack did not focus on those documentary requirements alone. Instead, he claimed the measure threatened Black neighbors and connected his opposition to what he described as his record of protecting voting rights.

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

Following recent reports that Congress is considering a nationwide voter ID requirement for federal elections, do you support requiring voters to show identification before casting a ballot?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

By Wednesday night, however, Talarico took a different approach during his CNN candidate forum. He claimed ignorance about the SAVE Act despite having publicly condemned it in August.

The CNN host did not push back on Talarico over the contrast between those positions. That left Jennings to highlight the gap between Talarico’s earlier denunciation and his later claim that he did not know about the proposal.

During the forum, Talarico said he supported the FAIR Voter ID proposal instead. The alternative he endorsed would include student identification cards among the forms of identification accepted for voting.

Democrats want nothing to do with free and fair elections because their positions are unpopular. That was the broader political frame surrounding the criticism of Talarico and his shifting presentation of the SAVE America Act.

Close

MORE NEWS: Trump Torches John Cornyn and Karl Rove with a Blistering Truth Social Post [WATCH]

Jennings responded by calling out what he described as Talarico’s lies. The original headline summarized Jennings’ judgment with the blunt declaration, “Talarico Is So Full of Sh**,” leaving little doubt about how he viewed the Democrat’s performance.

Jennings later delivered an even more colorful assessment, saying Talarico is “more slippery than a wet panther.” The remark captured the mocking view of Talarico’s movement from an emphatic August condemnation to professed ignorance at the CNN event.

The dispute centers on two sharply different presentations of the same legislation. In August, Talarico portrayed the SAVE Act as an effort to strip Black Americans of rights, while at Wednesday’s forum he claimed ignorance and promoted the FAIR Voter ID proposal instead.

For Jennings, that contrast was not confusion or an innocent change in emphasis. He treated it as dishonesty, and the lack of pushback from CNN only made his criticism more pointed as Talarico tried to navigate questions about voter identification and election rules.

Gold is the oldest answer. SoundMoney makes owning it as easy as the apps you already use.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.