Senator Cornyn Criticizes Texas Attorney General Paxton for Promoting Russian Propaganda

Although they’re both Texas Republicans, Senator John Cornyn and State Attorney General Ken Paxton are struggling to find common ground. The two powerful Lone Star State conservatives traded X barbs following Tuesday morning’s passage of the Senate’s $95 billion emergency defense spending bill.

“Ken, your criminal defense lawyers are calling to suggest you spend less time pushing Russian propaganda and more time defending longstanding felony charges against you in Houston,” Cornyn wrote on X.

He added, “as well as ongoing federal grand jury proceedings in San Antonio that will probably result in further criminal charges.”

Cornyn was answering an X post of Paxton’s that read “Unbelievable that @JohnCornyn would stay up all night to defend other countries borders, but not America.”

Cornyn’s “felony charges” reference stems from Paxton’s upcoming securities fraud case which is currently scheduled for April 15. The charges stem from allegations that the attorney general broke state securities regulations and failed to disclose stock transactions.

The Senate legislation includes $61 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel in its war against Hamas and $4.83 billion to support partners in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan, and deter Chinese aggression.

The defense bill will now go to the House where it is likely to face skepticism from the slim Republican majority. Speaker Mike Johnson signaled that without a U.S. border provision, the bill doesn’t have much of a chance.

“In the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters,” Johnson said in a statement issued late Monday.

“America deserves better than the Senate’s status quo,” said Johnson, who has suggested in the past that the House could split the legislation into separate bills.