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Tag: dan patrick
Ken Paxton

Impeachment Trial 'Judge' Accepts $3M From Defendant Paxton's Supporters

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is presiding over the impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, received $3 million in campaign support last month from a top group campaigning against Paxton’s impeachment.

In a campaign-finance report published Tuesday, Patrick — who is not up for reelection until 2026 — reported a $1 million contribution and a $2 million loan from Defend Texas Liberty PAC. The political action committee was by far his biggest benefactor on the report, which covered Patrick’s fundraising from June 19-30. It was the first opportunity state officials had to fundraise since the House impeached Paxton in late May.

Patrick’s Senate has scheduled a trial to begin September 5 to determine whether to permanently remove Paxton from office. Patrick has been acting as presiding officer of the trial — effectively the judge — and the fundraising period partially overlapped with the Senate’s deliberations over the trial rules. The chamber approved the rules June 21.

Shortly after the House impeached Paxton, Defend Texas Liberty PAC sent text messages to GOP voters asking them to call their state senators and tell them to “stop this madness and end this witch hunt.” It has also made clear it will politically target House Republicans who voted for impeachment.

“Defend Texas Liberty will ensure that every Republican voter in Texas knows just what a sham the Texas House has been this session and just how absurd this last minute Democrat led impeachment effort is,” the group said in a May 26 tweet.

The group is led by former state Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford), and has been a lead player in trying to push Texas Republicans further to the right. Best known for bankrolling primary challengers to House GOP members, Defend Texas Liberty is primarily funded by longtime far-right megadonors Tim Dunn and the Wilks family.

In its latest campaign-finance filing, the PAC disclosed just under $2 million in donations from Dunn. It also reported a $1.5 million check from Farris and Jo Ann Wilks.

Paxton himself reported $1.7 million in contributions over the last 12 days of June. One of his top donors was Dunn, who gave $150,000.

Patrick has previously received financial support from the PAC, including in his reelection campaign last year. But the latest burst of money comes as all eyes are on his front-and-center role in the impeachment trial.

Patrick’s $1 million donation from the PAC represented nearly a quarter of his total fundraising for the period. The donation arrived June 27, and the loan was made two days later. Its maturity date is June 30, 2025.

Strickland declined to comment on the PAC’s latest support for Patrick. But Strickland appeared to make reference to it in a defiant tweet.

“This is just the beginning, wait till you see the next report,” he said. “We will never stop. Ever. Grassroot conservatives will be heard.”

Patrick’s campaign also declined to comment, citing Senate trial rules. Patrick issued a wide-ranging gag order Monday on parties involved in the case.

Patrick’s campaign, however, issued a news release Monday touting his fundraising without mentioning how much he raised or where the money came from. The only statistic the news release identified was Patrick’s cash on hand as of June 30 — $22.2 million.

“I was humbled by the outpouring of support for the work we have accomplished during the 88th Legislative Session. The grassroots and the business leaders across Texas agree with the direction Texas is heading,” Patrick said in the news release. “I appreciate the financial support.”

Patrick is up for reelection in 2026. He initially said this would be his last term but reversed himself earlier this year, and his campaign reiterated in Monday’s news release that he plans to seek another term in three years.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune. The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Dan Patrick

Texas Official Boasts Of 'Bringing Prayer Back To Classrooms'

Texas far-right Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is lauding two just-passed state Senate bills which mandate the Ten Commandments be prominently displayed in every public school classroom and that public schools be allowed to create times specifically devoted so people can pray or read the Bible or other religious works.

In theory, both bills could be challenged by civil rights attorneys as unconstitutional, and Patrick’s praise of the legislation might make any case against them stronger.

“I believe that you cannot change the culture of the country until you change the culture of mankind,” Patrick said in a statement, The Texas Tribune reports. “Bringing the Ten Commandments and prayer back to our public schools will enable our students to become better Texans.”

Patrick, who has control over what legislation is voted on in the Texas legislature, appears to be revealing his intent to put prayer back into public school classrooms, which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in 1962.

“The state cannot hold prayers in public schools, even if participation is not required and the prayer is not tied to a particular religion,” the legal website Oyez explains.

Republican State Sen. Phil King “said during a committee hearing earlier this month that the Ten Commandments are part of American heritage and it’s time to bring them back into the classroom. He said the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for his bill after it sided with Joe Kennedy, a high school football coach in Washington state who was fired for praying at football games. The court ruled that was praying as a private citizen, not as an employee of the district,” the Tribune reports.

But just as with prayer in schools, the Supreme Court decades ago also ruled that putting the Ten Commandments in public schools is unconstitutional.

Earlier this month, when the Texas bill was before the state Senate’s Education Committee, we reported that in 1980. the U.S. Supreme Court in Stone v. Graham ruled 5-4 that a Kentucky state law violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. That law, as Oyez notes, “required the posting of a copy of the Ten Commandments in each public school classroom,” just as the proposed Texas bill, SB 1515, does.

The Ten Commandments bill is opposed by John Litzler, general counsel and director of public policy at the Texas Baptists Christian Life Commission, who “said at the committee hearing that the organization has concerns about taxpayer money being used to buy religious texts and that parents, not schools, should be having conversations about religion with their children.”

“I should have the right to introduce my daughter to the concepts of adultery and coveting someone’s spouse,” Litzler said. “It shouldn’t be one of the first things she learns to read in her kindergarten classroom.”

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Prominent Republicans Endorsing Democrats Over 'Extremist' GOP Candidates

Prominent Republicans Endorsing Democrats Over 'Extremist' GOP Candidates

A growing number of prominent Republicans across the country are ditching their party's nominees in the midterm elections in favor of Democratic candidates, and many others are withholding endorsements, citing the need to fight back against "dangerous extremism." The endorsements come as the midterm election season heads into the home stretch.

More than half of voters in the United States, or 60 percent, will have a candidate on their ballot who either falsely denies the results of the 2020 presidential election or who won't say President Joe Biden was legitimately elected, according to FiveThirtyEight.

"If a Republican thinks the 2020 election was stolen despite multiple investigations finding no evidence of widespread voter fraud, they might not accept the results of the 2024 election, either," writes Nathaniel Rakich, a senior elections analyst at FiveThirtyEight. "And if they're elected this November, they will be in a position to influence, and potentially overturn, the next presidential election."

On Sunday, a Republican state senator in Texas endorsed Democrat Mike Collier for lieutenant governor over incumbent Republican Dan Patrick.

"Dan Patrick is an extremist," state Sen. Kel Seliger said in an appearance on Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA's "Inside Texas Politics." Seliger joined Republican Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley in endorsing Collier over Patrick.

Patrick is a promoter of election conspiracy theories who has pushed former President Donald Trump's voter fraud lies and has made offensive comments in the past.

In March 2020, as the coronavirus began to spread across the country, Patrick pushed against shutdowns for safety's sake and said of older Americans who were considered more vulnerable to the virus: "We'll take care of ourselves. But don't sacrifice the country." Patrick has also railed against academic freedom and teaching about the history of race in the United States. He's said he wants to ban abortion even in cases of rape or incest, but supports an exception if the life of the pregnant person is at risk, and falsely said such situations are "rare."

In Michigan, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced on Monday that 150 Republicans, including former lawmakers, business leaders, and staffers to previous Republican governors in Michigan, are endorsing her for reelection over her opponent, Republican Tudor Dixon.

Former Rep. Joe Schwarz, one of the Michigan Republicans who endorsed Whitmer, said in a news release that Whitmer "has proven herself as a strong leader who is fighting to make Michigan a better place for everyone – regardless of your party affiliation."

In Pennsylvania, more than a dozen Republicans have endorsed Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro over Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano, citing Mastriano's "extremism." In July, nine Republicans backed Shapiro, calling Mastriano and his far-right views "dangerous" and "divisive," and another seven Republicans endorsed Shapiro's bid on August 30.

"I just don't think he [Mastriano] really respects our electoral system and he's even suggested he might appoint some people to be Secretary of State who, in my view, might not be fair in administering elections in this state," former U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent said in July.

Like Patrick, Mastriano is an election denier and promoter of conspiracy theories. He was present at the Jan. 6 insurrection by supporters of Trump at the U.S. Capitol and even chartered buses that were used by Trump supporters to travel to the rally preceding the riot. He's being investigated for his involvement in a plot to overturn the 2020 election results by sending a false slate of Republican electors to the Capitol. If elected, he'd have the power to appoint as secretary of state an election denier who could overturn the election results. He has also promised to illegally force every voter to reregister to vote.

"Although I am a long-standing Republican, I am deeply troubled by Doug Mastriano's embrace of dangerous extremism," former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said in a news release. "Josh Shapiro, on the other hand, is a staunch defender of our democratic institutions and will lead Pennsylvania with honor and integrity. I am proud to support his campaign for Governor."

Other Republicans have refused to endorse their own party's nominees in the November midterms, though they haven't backed the Democratic nominee either.

In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan refused to back the GOP nominee for governor, Dan Cox. Hogan said Cox, who also arranged buses to Washington on January 6, 2021, is a "nut" and a "QAnon whack job" who is not "mentally stable."

In Massachusetts, retiring GOP Gov. Charlie Baker refused to endorse Republican nominee Geoff Diehl, another election denier who has also pushed COVID-19 conspiracy theories.

In Arizona, Meghan McCain, the television personality and daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, slammed GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake for being too extreme. Lake has made election denialism a cornerstone of her campaign, and has vowed to jail her Democratic opponent, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, for her role in administering the 2020 election.

"Congratulations to my home state for [fully] making the transition to full blown MAGA/conspiracy theory/fraudster," McCain tweeted after Lake's primary win in August. "The voters have spoken - be careful what you wish for…"

Reprinted with permission from American Independent.

#EndorseThis: How Trump Republicans Are Killing The Lone Star State

#EndorseThis: How Trump Republicans Are Killing The Lone Star State

Watch cable television and you'll see lots of Americans who are simply too stupid to take coronavirus seriously. They complain about wearing masks, insist the pandemic is a hoax, and mimic the mindless behavior of President Trump, whom they tend to idolize.

Unfortunately, a number of these imbeciles are in positions of power – notably in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott has led the state into a nightmare of disease and government dysfunction, along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. (Vice President Mike Pence told his share of lethal lies about the Lone Star State, too.)

Somebody needs to be held accountable for the continuing destruction of Texas. And the fine people at MeidasTouch SuperPAC want to make sure everyone knows who. That's why they produced "Trump Kills Texas."

It's short but very sharp. Just click.