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| - In February 2026, social media users claimed federal lawsuits and newly released documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein showed evidence of Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk being involved in child trafficking.
Some users pointed to the U.S. Department of Justice's Jan. 30, 2026, release of millions of Epstein-related documents, while others cited reporting about lawsuits alleging abuse and trafficking at Romania-based children's homes tied to a U.S. church.
One X post (archived) on the topic read, "Erika Kirk Allegedly Linked to Sex Trafficking Network as Her Pastor Faces Child Trafficking Counts."
(X user @dave43law)
Versions of the rumor spread on social media platforms including Reddit and Threads.
However, the renewed attention did not produce any credible evidence that Kirk engaged in child trafficking. The posts circulating online did not cite court filings naming her as a defendant, law enforcement statements accusing her of wrongdoing or any verifiable excerpts from the Epstein-related documents implicating her in criminal activity.
Rather, the narrative relied largely on guilt-by-association arguments, pointing to her public appearance with a pastor facing lawsuits, previously debunked claims and sensational interpretations promoted by outlets known for publishing misleading information.
As such, we've rated this claim as false.
How the rumor spread
The claim was amplified by social media posts and by a website called The People's Voice — a rebranded version of NewsPunch, a website with a long history of publishing false information — which published an article titled "Bombshell Federal Court Lawsuits Expose Erika Kirk Links to Global Child Trafficking Ring." The article did not present court documents or evidence naming Kirk as a defendant or showing her participation in trafficking.
Other posts linked to an article (archived) titled "Pastor Linked to Erika Kirk Faces Child Trafficking Charges as Online Speculation Spreads." The piece's body text, however, explicitly noted that Kirk "has not been named in any lawsuit connected to the Romanian shelter allegations," that "there is currently no evidence linking her to criminal activity," that there is no public record of criminal charges against Kirk and that nothing indicates she is the subject of a law enforcement investigation.
What the pastor lawsuits actually say
One strand of the February 2026 posts focused on Kirk's public association with Harvest Christian Fellowship pastor Greg Laurie.
In January 2026, Kirk appeared on the program for the "Make Heaven Crowded Tour" kickoff event at Harvest Christian Fellowship, which listed both Laurie and Kirk as guest speakers. Social media posts portrayed Laurie as facing child trafficking accusations and implied that this implicated Kirk.
The posts refer to federal civil lawsuits brought before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California accusing former Harvest missionary pastor Paul Havsgaard of committing sexual abuse and trafficking minors at church-run children's homes in Romania. The lawsuits also name Harvest Christian Fellowship and Laurie, arguing they failed to oversee Havsgaard and did not intervene despite indications of misconduct.
According to reporting by The Associated Press and MinistryWatch, the complaints allege that Havsgaard abused children between 1998 and 2008 and that church officials did not respond to concerns about his conduct. The church has disputed the claims and contends that if misconduct occurred, accountability would rest with the accused individual — not with Harvest's leadership.
As of this writing, the consolidated lawsuits remain pending in federal court. To date, no member of the church's leadership has been found guilty of a crime in connection with the allegations. Moreover, those lawsuits are not legal filings against Kirk, nor do they establish that she was involved in trafficking children.
No mention of Erika Kirk in Epstein files
Some posts also claimed that newly released Epstein-related documents implicated Kirk. In September 2025, we examined the rumor that she appeared in the Epstein files as a "recruiter" or was otherwise tied to Epstein's trafficking operation. We found no credible evidence supporting that allegation. Nothing in the DOJ's subsequent document releases has changed that assessment.
Moreover, even if a person's name appears in Epstein-related records, that alone does not establish wrongdoing. The files contain third-party references, contact lists and interview summaries mentioning numerous public figures without demonstrating criminal conduct. Social media posts circulating in February 2026 did not provide any verifiable document identifiers or page references showing Kirk engaged in trafficking.
Romania claims remain unsupported
Another element of the rumor was the claim that Kirk was "barred from entering Romania" because her charity was accused of trafficking children. As we've previously reported, reviews of Romanian court records and reporting found no documentation that Kirk was banned from the country, nor evidence that her "Romanian Angels" initiative engaged in trafficking.
All in all, the February 2026 posts linking Erika Kirk to trafficking repeated earlier, unsubstantiated claims and leaned heavily on guilt-by-association arguments. The majority of the posts cited the DOJ's Epstein document release or separate lawsuits involving a U.S. church's Romania-linked children's homes. However, neither development provides evidence that Kirk engaged in trafficking. The materials circulating online do not show that she trafficked children, nor do they demonstrate that she has been accused of doing so by law enforcement.
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