The Texas Report 10/9

The Texas Report 10/9

What’s happening in Texas:

• Far-right Texas political organization meets with known antisemite

• Texas Special Session #3 begins

Far-Right Texas political organization meets with known antisemite

Yesterday, the Texas Tribune reported that Defend Texas Liberty, an organization that has donated millions to high-profile Texas leaders, met with white supremacist Nick Fuentes and several other right-wing activists for over five hours last Friday.

The Tribune reporter observed Fuentes, Kyle Rittenhouse (acquitted of homicide after killing two Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020) enter a one-story office building in Tarrant County. This building houses Pale Horse Strategies, a consulting firm for the far-right led by Jonathan Stickland, who also runs Defend Texas Liberty.

Matt Rinaldi, the chair of the Republican Party of Texas and an ally of Stickland, was also seen entering the building while Fuentes was inside. Reached by phone on Sunday, Rinaldi denied to the Tribune he had any knowledge that Fuentes was on the premises and provided screenshots of text messages from Friday morning in which he rescheduled a meeting for 1:45 p.m. at the Pale Horse office with Texas GOP Executive Director Jen Hall.

"We were just borrowing a conference room," said Rinaldi, who arrived at the office just before 1:45 p.m. and left 45 minutes later.

He said of Fuentes: "I completely condemn that guy and everything he stands for. I would never in a million years meet with that guy."

Asked if he would condemn Stickland or Pale Horse for hosting Fuentes, Rinaldi responded that he would "disavow Nick Fuentes, but I'm not going to make assumptions" based solely on the Tribune's reporting.

Stickland leads Defend Texas Liberty, a prominent political action committee that advocated for Ken Paxton during his recent impeachment trial and gave $3 million in loans and donations to Lt. Governor Dan Patrick.

Numerous Republicans across Texas and nationally have condemned Fuentes, like Mike Pence, Kevin McCarthy, and Mitch McConnell.

Fuentes rose to prominence on YouTube after 2017's deadly neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Fuentes and his followers — nicknamed "groypers" — have tried to normalize racist, antisemitic, and misogynistic views by constantly attacking other conservatives, including Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA, from the far right.

Fuentes has questioned whether the Holocaust happened and said Hitler was "really fucking cool." He called for a "holy war" against Jews, "Catholic Taliban rule," and "killing the globalists." A "proud incel," Fuentes has fantasized about marrying a 16-year-old because that's "right when the milk is good." He has celebrated a growing wave of hatred and violence that he hopes will get "uglier and a lot worse" for Jews and others he deems inferior.

"All I want is revenge against my enemies and a total Aryan victory," Fuentes said last year.

Pale Horse Strategies and Stickland employ other like-minded Fuentes acolytes. Pale Horse social media coordinator Ella Maulding once praised Fuentes as "the greatest civil rights leader in history."

Chris Russo, the founder of Texans for Strong Borders, another Defend Texas Liberty affiliated PAC (each of these groups shares the same principal funders along with Matt Rinaldi and the Texas GOP), was seen driving Fuentes to the Friday meeting.

The major funders behind these organizations wield exceptional power in Texas politics and have given millions to Attorney General Ken Paxton and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick.

Defend Texas Liberty spent money to hire conservative influencers to post supportive messages on Paxton’s behalf and rally grassroots organizations to encourage their Senators to vote against impeachment.

Campaign records show that in 2022, Pale Horse Strategies received more than $828,000 for consulting and contractor services from Defend Texas Liberty. The same year, the PAC donated more than $5 million to challengers to more moderate, incumbent Republicans. Most of that money went to Don Huffines, a real estate developer and former state senator who unsuccessfully challenged Gov. Greg Abbott in the Republican primary.

Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) and several members of the House GOP released statements today calling for the millions of dollars in political donations from Defend Texas Liberty to be refunded or put to charitable causes on behalf of Israel.

In his statement, Phelan said, "at a time when we are witnessing heinous attacks on our Israeli allies by Hamas terrorists - the most egregious assault on Jewish lives since the Holocaust - Jonathan Stickland, the President of Defend Texas Liberty Pac", fraternized with a nazi sympathizer. Phelan specifically called out the $3 million donation Lt. Governor Patrick received from Defend Texas Liberty and encouraged him to lead the way in redirecting those funds.

Below is the statement from approximately fifty-nine House Republicans:

Major recipients of Defend Texas Liberty donations, like Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, responded with:

"I didn't think even Dade Phelan would stoop this low. He has now absolutely hit rock bottom. His latest political stunt is disgusting, despicable, and disingenuous. With nearly 1,000 dead and over a hundred kidnapped, anyone who would use the war in Israel for their political purposes is revolting, repulsive, and repugnant.

"Nick Fuentes and his antisemitic rhetoric have no place in the United States. Those who spew such vile, loathsome abominations will have to answer for it.

"For anyone to try to use these invectives for their own political gain is below contempt. I am calling on Dade Phelan to resign his position before the House gavels in this afternoon. There is no place in Texas political discourse for any elected official to use the atrocities in Israel for their own political gain. That's what Dade Phelan is doing. At this point, he's simply got to go."

State Representative Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) put out a statement:

Neither of these statements nor any from our research directly address or acknowledge Defend Texas Liberty and its potential involvement with Fuentes.

Finally, this was what Defend Texas Liberty said about their meeting:

Further information on Fuentes's "incendiary views."

He has referred to Daily Wire columnist Matt Walsh as a "shabbos goy race traitor" because he works for Ben Shapiro, a Jewish conservative, who runs the Daily Wire. On a livestream episode, Fuentes denied the Holocaust and compared Jews burnt in concentration camps to cookies in an oven.

He was kicked out of this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) after trying to attend the annual GOP gathering. A CPAC spokesperson said his views "are not consistent with the mission of CPAC."

Texas Special Session #3

Today was the first day of the 3rd Special Session for the 88th Texas Legislature.

At 1:00 p.m., both chambers gaveled in before passing resolutions honoring Israel and emphasizing the state's support for the people of Israel. Following the resolution, Representative Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) questioned House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) about the timing for releasing information on tax dollars used by the Texas House in the Impeachment Trial of Ken Paxton. Due to the parliamentary procedure, Phelan didn't speak on that issue.

The House then adjourned, and Speaker Phelan went on to answer questions with the media for a few minutes regarding the recent news that the conservative organization Defend Texas Liberty met with known antisemite Nick Fuentes and the status of vouchers.

This special session was called by Governor Abbott to initially address:

• Education Freedom, which essentially means the creation of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) or vouchers.

• Border Security, Abbott has called for legislation that increases the criminal offense of unlawful entry into Texas, stronger penalties for smuggling, and more.

• Public Safety, legislation related to the Colony Ride development in Liberty County, Texas.

• Ending COVID-19 Restrictions, legislation preventing vaccine mandates by private employers.

Thus far, there have been well over a hundred bills filed on various topics, and the Texas Senate has already begun hearing legislation.

Today, the Senate Finance Committee heard S.B. 2 by Senator Brandon Creighton.

• S.B. 2 is the major teacher pay increase Senate Bill and would give teachers with less than 5,000 students $10,000 one-time retention bonuses, and for schools above 5,000 students, teachers would receive $3,000.

• Those payments are intended to be creditable compensation and count toward the Texas Retirement Service benefits calculation.

• Beginning in 2024-2025, each teacher statewide will be entitled to a $3,000 permanent pay raise. Teachers in school districts with 5,000 students and below will receive $10,000.

• Additionally, there are major accelerations of the Teacher Incentive Allotment and a $75 Increase in Basic Allotment.

Tomorrow, the Texas Senate will hear various bills in committee related to border security and preventing COVID-19 Vaccine mandates.

The Texas House isn’t set to meet again till Thursday as they wait on bill drafts.

Texas Democrats in both the House and Senate held their own press conference, affirming their stance against vouchers or the creation of Education Savings Accounts.

Tomorrow, the Texas Senate will hear various bills in committee related to border security, and preventing COVID-19 Vaccine mandates.