Newly released court documents identify the Republican Women’s Caucus Fund as a client behind text messages sent to Texans that appeared to promote resources for transgender students. A Travis County judge ordered the information unsealed after the Transgender Education Network of Texas petitioned for the identity of those responsible for the messages and related mailers.
The texts, sent earlier this month through the messaging company Infobip, directed recipients to the website of the Transgender Education Network of Texas, known as TENT. The materials offered guidance on gender-affirming care and other topics. Similar mailers, estimated in the millions and addressed in some cases to students, arrived in Texas mailboxes around the start of early voting. Those pieces came from a Wyoming-based LLC called the Texas Transgender Student Union, formed in September, and used TENT’s branding and a near-identical return address. TENT has denied any role in the campaign and said the materials are impersonations.
A spokesperson for the Republican Women’s Caucus Fund issued a statement denying any involvement. The group said it did not authorize, fund, direct, coordinate or participate in the text messaging or direct mail activities in Texas. It described itself as wrongfully named in the lawsuit and said it is pursuing legal remedies. An individual named John Braun was also listed in the deposition as a client for the texts. No further identifying information about Braun was provided in the public filing.
The campaign has drawn scrutiny amid the competitive U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico. A West Texas district attorney has opened a criminal investigation into the mailers as potential forgery. TENT’s attorney has argued the materials were designed to influence voter turnout. The investigation and civil proceedings remain ongoing.
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