The ANCA is calling for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who called convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein his "role model" in a 2012 email, following new revelations in the Department of Justice's Epstein Files.
ANCA Ramps Up Calls on Trump to Fire Epstein-Ally, Armenian Genocide-Denier Amb. Tom Barrack
Epstein Files Document 540+ References to U.S. Turkey Envoy - including a Shocking Revelation that Former Turkish FM Davutoglu Enlisted Barrack and Epstein to Fight Armenian Genocide Recognition
February 19, 2026WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is calling on President Trump to immediately fire U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack – an unapologetic denier of the Armenian Genocide – following revelations in the Department of Justice’s Epstein Files documenting his decade-long friendship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
The ANCA first called for his resignation last July, after he publicly dismissed the Armenian Genocide as an “old impression” at a State Department briefing in New York City. At that time, the ANCA joined the Hellenic American Leadership Council and American Friends of Kurdistan in calling for his recall.
“Tom Barrack called a convicted child sex trafficker his ‘role model’ — in writing,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “He appears over 540 times in the Epstein Files. And before all of this came to light, he was already on record denying the Armenian Genocide on behalf of the Turkish government. President Trump needs to fire him now.”
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) put the question bluntly, writing Monday night: “Is this really who we want representing our country.”
The DOJ’s Epstein Files document a warm and sustained personal relationship that continued for over a decade after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sex crimes involving minors. In December 2012 — four years after Epstein’s conviction — Barrack emailed Epstein: “Not until you hire me as ur butler. How is my role model?” In March 2016, with Barrack serving as a senior Trump campaign fundraiser, Epstein emailed him: “Send photos of you and child — make me smile.”
The Epstein Files also expose a direct connection between Epstein’s network and efforts to suppress Armenian Genocide recognition in the United States. In a February 11, 2026 video posted to X, former Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu admitted that his meeting with U.S. billionaire Thomas Pritzker — documented in the DOJ files — was specifically arranged to seek support “against the Armenian lobby” ahead of the 2015 Armenian Genocide centennial. DOJ records show Pritzker emailing Epstein about Davutoglu, describing him as a “Kissinger-type figure,” and arranging a meeting between the two. Pritzker has since resigned as Hyatt Hotels chair, citing his ties to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
The pattern is clear: genocide denial and the Epstein class are not separate stories. Barrack denied the Armenian Genocide on behalf of Ankara. Davutoglu used the Epstein network to fight Armenian Genocide recognition in Washington.
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