Sen. John Cornyn blasts Paxton, pushes President Trump's agenda during Dallas visit
Sen.John Cornyn made his two-part re-election strategy clear during his first visit to North Texas since Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he will try to unseat him in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate in March. Cornyn has vowed he will push for President Trump's agenda just as he did during his first term in office.
After a roundtable discussion with small business owners in Dallas on Tuesday, Cornyn said, "President Trump is the most influential person in politics in the nation and that includes Texas. So, I'm proud of the four years that I've worked with him in the first term. There's no daylight when it comes to me and the president's policies. I'm proud of my relationship with President Trump. I talk to him frequently."
Mr. Trump recently said he is friends with both Cornyn and Paxton and he called them both good men. The president said he would likely make an endorsement at the appropriate time.
Cornyn's roundtable with small business owners in Dallas took place at Manda Machine Company, which Andy Ellard and his family have owned for 75 years. Ellard said the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that passed during the first Trump administration helped their small business in various ways. He and other small business owners agreed with Cornyn that the tax cuts that passed during the first Trump administration need to be made permanent. The tax cuts are set to expire at the end of this year.
"For our business, we looked back at our tax returns over the last three years, and this specific tax cut has saved us $80,000 that we've been able to reinvest in our business," Ellard said. "We hired a business development company to help us seek business throughout the U.S."
Senate and House Republicans have been meeting for months to hammer out a bill that would make the tax cuts permanent, not just for small businesses, but individual taxpayers as well. They're working to pass it this summer, but if it doesn't, Cornyn warned, "Sixty-two percent of taxpayers would see a tax increase. Texans, on average, would see an increase of $3,000."
Democrats have said wealthy people who earn over $400,000 should pay more in taxes.
"This is not just something to benefit wealthy people," Cornyn said. "This is something that determines the ability of these small businesses to grow and create jobs. This is a must-do piece of legislation. My guess is we will probably wrap this up sometime this summer and sent it to President Trump for his signature."
Cornyn criticizes Paxton's character
As part of his reelection campaign, Cornyn has also sharply criticized Paxton's character, whom he has described as a "con man," a "fraud", and someone with a "checkered background." CBS News Texas asked Cornyn about it.
"I think it's a statement of the obvious," he responded. "I think Mr. Paxton is betting that character no longer matters to the people of Texas. I'm betting he is wrong."
Political analysts have said Cornyn will have to make this a major part of his campaign because many grassroots conservatives who vote in the primaries will back Paxton.
The Attorney General has faced state fraud charges, which have now been resolved, according to his attorney, who said Paxton paid more than $270,000 in restitution and performed 100 hours of community service.
Paxton was also impeached by the Texas House in 2023 on multiple articles, including allegations of bribery involving a campaign donor. But during the impeachment trial, the Republican-dominated Senate cleared him of any wrongdoing. Paxton maintained all along that he did nothing wrong.
Some of Paxton's hand-picked lieutenants in the Attorney General's Office first brought the allegations of potential crimes when they went to the FBI in 2020. After years of investigating, the U.S. Justice Department decided against filing criminal charges during the final days of the Biden administration.
All that remains is a civil whistleblower lawsuit filed by four of Paxton's higher-ups who were fired after they went to the FBI. A Travis County judge recently filed a nearly $6.7 million judgment against the Attorney General's Office. Paxton is appealing.
He previously decided not to contest the fact that the whistleblowers were fired or other parts of the case and as a result, the Texas Supreme Court ruled he wouldn't have to testify under oath. The Texas legislature will ultimately have to decide whether to pay the four whistleblowers, meaning taxpayers could have to pick up the tab. CBS News Texas has made multiple requests to interview Paxton.
Potential endorsements and challengers
In an interview with CBS News Texas for Eye On Politics, Sen. Ted Cruz said he won't make an endorsement in the Cornyn-Paxton primary race.
"I like John Cornyn and I like Ken Paxton. Both of them are friends of mine," said Cruz. "Both of them I've worked with closely for over a decade. So, on this race, I'm staying out of it. I respect the voters of Texas. I'm going to trust the voters to decide."
As we reported one week ago, Houston area Congressman Wesley Hunt may be thinking about entering the GOP primary and challenging Cornyn and Paxton. On Friday, the Associated Press quoted three sources as saying Hunt discussed a potential Senate bid this month with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and political director James Blair. Supporters of Hunt have been running tv ads promoting him. The ads are running in Texas, including the DFW market, and in West Palm Beach, home to President Trump's Mar-a-Lago.
