🚨 INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: JAMES TALARICO HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO - MILLIONS IN TAXPAYER-FUNDED CONTRACTS, PRIVATE INCOME, AND A NEW LLC I’ve been digging into Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico’s financial history, and I have some questions about where taxpayer money was going and who was benefiting from it. Let me break this down so everyone understands… From 2019 through 2025, James Talarico worked as a paid consultant for a company called MAYA Consulting, now known as VIDA Collaborative. During that same time, Talarico was serving in the Texas Legislature, including on the House Public Education Committee, which deals with matters involving the Texas Education Agency (TEA). THE SAME STATE EDUCATION AGENCY WAS AWARDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CONTRACTS TO THE COMPANY PAYING TALARICO. We’re talking about approximately $5.16 MILLION in TEA contracts, plus additional money the consulting firm received from individual Texas school districts. And according to Talarico’s own financial disclosure, he reported $83,333.40 in income from MAYA Consulting for 2025. This means that James Talarico was a Texas lawmaker helping make decisions about public education. But at the same time, he was receiving private income from a company doing millions of dollars in business with the state’s education system. Hello? I certainly want to know what he was being paid to do, whether he had any involvement in those government contracts, and how potential conflicts of interest were handled. But wait, there is more. In September 2025, shortly after announcing his Senate campaign, Talarico formed a company called Nine Banded LLC. His federal financial disclosure identifies him as its managing member and describes the company as inactive during the reporting period. What was the purpose of this company? Has it received any money since its formation? And is it connected to any of his political or private business activities? I want to know. So I have submitted a Texas Public Information Act request to the Texas Education Agency demanding the records involving MAYA Consulting and its government contracts. I want to see the contracts, invoices, payment records, names of the people who performed the work, and any documents addressing potential conflicts of interest. Most importantly, I want to find out whether James Talarico personally performed any work connected to those taxpayer-funded contracts, whether any of that money paid for his services, and whether his position in the Texas Legislature created any conflicts. Talarico’s campaign and the consulting firm have, of course, denied wrongdoing. They maintain that he did not work on or receive compensation from those government-funded contracts. If that’s accurate, the records should help us understand how his private consulting work was kept separate. And if they refuse to send the records… I think we can put two and two together. The public records already establish that Talarico received private consulting income while his employer held millions of dollars in public education contracts. James Talarico, I think Texas taxpayers deserve a very simple explanation: What exactly were you being paid to do, and how can you demonstrate that your private financial interests were kept separate from your responsibilities as an elected official? These are taxpayer dollars we’re talking about. Public officials should expect scrutiny when their private employers are receiving MILLIONS from government agencies. STAY TUNED. I’m waiting on responses from the TEA.