Texas Republican Scandals | Updated List of GOP Scandals in TX

Texas Republican U.S. Congress Member & Candidate Scandals
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3/02/22
Engaged in a yearlong extramarital affair with a woman who was formerly married to an ISIS terrorist and paid her $5,000 to keep quiet about itAccording to a statement in which he admitted to the affair and announced he was ending his reelection campaign
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11/13/24
Consumed too much alcohol and then took some sleep medication while waiting for his flight at a local airport resulting in him missing his flight and being detained by police for public intoxicationAccording to charging documents filed by local police
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3/07/24
Consumed alcohol and the sleep drug Ambien with subordinates while on duty as President Obama's top physician which could have resulted in catastrophe if he were called to care for the President in an emergencyAccording to an exclusive report by The Washington Post
8/15/23
Was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed by police officers after refusing repeating commands to not interfere with emergency responders helping a 15-year-old girl experiencing seizures during which he screamed one was a "f*cking full-on d*ck!" who "better recalculate, motherf*cker!" while also hypocritically promising he will "ALWAYS stand by our country's police officers" which apparently only applies when it is politically convenient for himAccording to bodycam footage released by local police
5/23/22
Spent $3,147.06 in campaign funds to pay for an extravagant dinner at a private social and dining club that the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics reported was likely a personal expense and not a fundraising event as he claimedAccording to news reports from credible media outlets
Used $1,929.07 in campaign funds to pay for 11 months' worth of dues to gain "unlimited access" to a private social and dining club located in TexasAccording to a report released by the nonpartisan House Ethics Committee
3/02/21
Told a female White House medical staff subordinate he'd like to see her tattoos unobstructed of clothing and commented to a male subordinate that she had "great t*ts" and a "nice ass"According to a Defense Department Inspector General review reported on by CNN
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Daniel RodimerFmr. U.S. Rep Candidate
3/08/24
Physically struck a victim and had to complete a six-week anger management course in order to have his charges dropped3/07/24
Punched and strangled his victim so severely it caused multiple brain bleeds resulting in his eventual death several days laterAccording to charging documents filed by local police
10/08/19
Allegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets
"Sucker punched" a bartender in the face after he informed Rodimer that other patrons were looking up his girlfriend's skirtAccording to an exclusive report by The Associated Press
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James HarrisFmr. U.S. Rep Candidate
3/10/22
Stole a trailer's worth of his competitor's campaign signs and was caught red-handed by two of them who witnessed itAccording to charging documents filed by local police
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Joe BartonFmr. U.S. Representative92.4% Voted with Trump
11/30/17
Had sex multiple times in one day inside his political office in rural Texas with a woman he met on Facebook while also being marriedAccording to an exclusive report by local radio WBAP in Texas
11/22/17
Had sex with a woman who wasn't his wife twice -- once in Washington, D.C. and another time in Texas -- and continued to communicate with her over sexualized text messages, videos and voicemails for five more yearsAccording to an exclusive report by The Washington Post
11/22/17
Sent pictures of himself masturbating to three women -- two whom he had an extramarital affair with -- and threatened to sic the Capitol Police on one of the women he was involved with if she went public with his naked picturesAccording to a recorded phone call between Barton and one woman he had an affair with exclusively reported by The Washington Post
11/22/17
Preached the importance of adhering to Christian "family values" like being faithful to your wife but had affairs with 2 different women and sent naked pictures of himself to a thirdAccording to an exclusive report by The Washington Post
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Brad NamdarFmr. U.S. Rep Candidate
2/15/22
Hired a professional escort for sex on two separate occasions and refused to pay her after the second time they had sex while also being marriedAllegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets
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Blake FarentholdFmr. U.S. RepresentativeTea Party Enthusiast
12/04/17
Openly talked with a male aide about "sexual fantasies" and "wet dreams" he had about his female communications director Lauren Greene and fired her after shortly after she filed a formal complaint and then secretly paid her $84,000 in taxpayer funds from a secretive "Office of Compliance" account after she agreed to drop a federal lawsuit she filed against him12/04/17
Settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with a confidentiality agreement for $84,000 using a secret taxpayer funded account which kept it from the public for years12/01/17
Routinely "drank to excess” at Capitol Hill functions so much that his staff felt they had to be on "red head patrol" in order to "keep him out of trouble" because he would regularly say sexually improper things to female staff and lobbyists when he was drunkAccording to an exclusive report by Politico
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Steve StockmanFmr. U.S. Representative35 Years in GOP
3/16/17
Illegally spent $1.25 million dollars in funds meant for charity on campaign and personal expenses including hot air balloon rides and a new dishwasherAllegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets
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Kevin BradyFmr. U.S. Representative
10/11/05
Smelled of alcohol and failed a field sobriety test after being pulled over for a malfunctioning tail lightAccording to a police report filed by local authorities
Texas Republican Executive Branch Scandals
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5/16/24
Pardoned an admittedly racist convicted murderer who made good on his online threats to confront and shoot protesters by killing an Air Force veteran peacefully participating in a protest one year into his 25-year sentenceAccording to news reports from credible media outlets
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6/20/23
Personally lobbied to connect a business executive with prior criminal convictions for theft and fraud with the state comptroller overseeing a multimillion-dollar initiative meant to combat opioid overdoses despite him not having had any experience working on statewide public health initiativesAccording to an exclusive investigative report by Pro Publica and The Texas Tribune
5/27/23
Called and threatened multiple Texas State Reps with "political consequences" if they voted to impeach him for corruptionAccording to a speech delivered by Rep. Green in the Texas State House
2/10/23
Retaliated against four staffers who reported his alleged corruption to the FBI by maligning them as "rogue employees" and fired or forced them out through other means and later spent $3.3 million in taxpayer dollars to settle a wrongful termination lawsuit which also forced him to apologize for disparaging themAccording to a settlement agreement reached between Paxton and the fired staffers
2/11/21
Accepted thousands of dollars' worth of home remodeling and repairs in addition to securing employment for a woman he was having an affair with from wealthy real estate developer Nate Paul in exchange for investigating Paul's business adversaries and helping him settle a lawsuit in his favorAccording to an official complaint filed by seven of Paxton's top aides
11/05/20
Had a yearslong extramarital affair with a woman who worked for a Republican state senator and was able to keep it secret by using a fake Uber account to rendezvous with her and then facilitated her transfer to a job working for a wealthy business executive and donor he was criminally involved withAccording to two people with direct knowledge who spoke on condition of anonymity with The Associated Press
8/01/15
Convinced numerous people into investing $840,000 in a technology company that he secretly earned commissions on while giving the false impression he was actually an investorAccording to charging documents filed by states attorneys
Texas Republican Judge Scandals
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Guy WilliamsFmr. State Judge [R-TX]
1/10/22
Illegally bypassed a security check and entered a local county courthouse without authorization and also sent the judge in charge of the courthouse a threatening email demanding that security allow him to enter without having to pass through security first10/07/19
Shouted profanities at first responders who were assisting him after a car he was a passenger in crashed into two palm trees and soon after passed out in the back of a patrol car presumably because he was drunk11/04/17
Pointed a gun at the driver of a car he was dangerously tailing and tried to run her off the road as he zoomed past herAccording to charging documents filed by local police
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Russ CaseyFmr. Justice of the Peace
1/11/18
Forged more than 100 signatures on a candidate petition to ensure he could get on the ballot for the 2018 Republican primaryHe pled guilty to tampering with govenment records and was sentenced to five years of probation
5/16/17
Coerced a subordinate into giving him oral sex multiple times -- once while he wore his black judge's robe -- and to have sex with him two times and would lash out her as a “horrible court manager” if she ever refused his advances, which she didn't do often because he was her boss, while being married the entire timeAccording to a federal civil lawsuit filed by the alleged victim
5/16/17
According to a federal civil lawsuit filed by the alleged victim
5/16/17
Exposed his penis to a subordinate cornered in her locked office and slammed the door back shut when she tried to flee and then threatened that she better think twice before reporting him because he's the only person standing between her and the unemployment lineAccording to a federal civil lawsuit filed by the alleged victim
Texas Republican State Legislator Scandals
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5/19/23
Repeatedly slurred his speech and swayed back and forth as he led official proceedings as the Texas Speaker of the House in a way fellow Republican and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton described as "debilitating intoxication"According to reports by local and state media
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Vanessa TijerinaFmr. State Sen. Candidate
12/01/22
Was arrested for suspected DUI after calling 911 on herself thinking she was involved in a crash which police determined was not true6/11/20
Refused to obey repeated police commands to roll down her window while parked at a local restaurant because they smelled a strong odor of marijuana inside her car and suspected she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol and was caught with multiple "crack pipes" in her car that her young child was also a passenger inAccording to charging documents filed by local police
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Charles SchwertnerState Senator [R-TX]
2/07/23
Swerved in and out of his lane for an extended period of time around 1am and was arrested for refusing a breathalyzer after police observed him slurring his speech with a "strong odor of alcoholic beverages on his breath"According to charging documents filed by local officials9/26/18
Sent unsolicited nude pictures of himself in the shower and texted "I just really want to f*ck you" to a graduate student he met at a campus event while also being married with three childrenAccording to a complaint filed by the alleged victim first reported by The Austin American-Statesmen
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5/09/23
Served so much alcohol to two underage legislative aides and a 21-year-old intern that one vomited and the other two were so dizzy that they had "split vision"4/14/23
Had unprotected sex with an inebriated 19-year-old he had provided alcohol to which a Republican-led investigation determined was tantamount to rape because his victim "could not effectively consent to intercourse" due to the influence of alcohol and also because she very likely would have said no as it was her first time having sex and later took her to the drugstore so should could purchase emergency contraception while also being a married "family values" lawmaker who routinely denounced the so-called "grooming" of childrenAccording to a final report by the Texas House General Investigating Committee which recommended his expulsion from the body
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9/16/22
Forcibly kissed and groped a congressional intern and ignored her pleas to stop after creating a situation where he was able to get her alone in his carAccording to an allegation filed by the alleged victim and reported by mainstream media
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Katrina PiersonState Representative
2/24/14
Stole four articles of clothing from a local department store by stuffing them into a shoe box and concealing it in the bottom of her shopping bagAccording to a report by Snopes
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Frederick FrazierFmr. State Representative
6/25/22
Impersonated a city compliance officer on at least two occasions so he could order people to remove campaign signs his opponent had displayed at local businesses while also portraying himself as a fierce defender of law and orderAccording to charging documents filed by local police
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Charlie GreenState Representative
5/27/23
Accused Texas AG Ken Paxton of personally calling and threatening "several" Texas State Rep's with "political consequences" if they vote to impeach him for corruptionAccording to a speech delivered by Rep. Green in the Texas State House
Texas Republican Finance Official Scandals
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Karen PhillipsCounty Clerk [R-TX]
8/26/24
Pushed one police officer and grabbed another as they moved to subdue her son who was resisting arrest after he fled the scene of a traffic stop to seek refuge in her homeAccording to charging documents filed by local police
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Arlene SwineyTax Collector [R-TX]
5/06/25
Illegally put pressure on a government official to reassess their decision on a property appraisal she had an interest inAccording to charging documents filed by local officials
Texas Republican Mayor Scandals
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James MontgomeryFmr. Mayor [R-TX]
6/03/23
Solicited sex with who he thought was a 15-years-old girl over the internet and traveled to meet her where he was arrested by undercover officers who posed as the young girlAccording to charging documents filed by local officials
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Matt McIlravyFmr. Mayor [R-TX]
6/22/22
Solicited sex with who he thought was a 12-year-old girl but was instead an undercover police officer over a series of private messages on the internet while also being a married father of two boysAccording to charging documents filed by local police
Texas Republican City Official Scandals
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Brad BensonFmr. City Council Candidate
11/07/23
According to charging documents filed by local officials
Other Texas Republican Scandals
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Tony YochamFmr. Chief of Police
1/09/24
Routinely sexually assaulted an underage girl over a seven-year period that began when she was only 8 years old and culminated in near-daily assaults before he was caught while also being a married father of five childrenAccording to charging documents filed by state officials
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Walt SmithCommissioner [R-TX]
9/07/22
Ran a red light and slammed his pickup truck into a larger box truck at 3am causing a crash that dragged their vehicles for several hundred feet after which he failed a videotaped field sobriety test during which he was swaying, struggled to do a one-leg stand and was observed having a strong odor of alcohol by officers on sceneAccording to a police report filed by local officials
2/16/22
Urinated next to a truck parked outside a local bar moments after he was caught on video inside the bar swaying and having difficulty walking straight presumably because he had too much to drinkAllegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets
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David WhitmireCounty Commissioner [R-TX]
4/25/25
Sexually assaulted a woman who also refused to have sex with him in exchange for money and political help in a child custody disputeAccording to charging documents filed by local officials
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Richard RoachFmr. District Attorney
6/26/06
Routinely stole methamphetamine and other strong narcotics from police evidence lockers and openly injected himself with drugs in front of his office secretary while also being a District Attorney who was a fervent prosecutor of drug offenses who secured very harsh drug sentencesAccording to charging documents filed by state officials
6/20/05
Lied on a sworn affidavit where he falsely claimed to have no assets in an attempt to have taxpayers pay for a court-appointed attorney to represent him at his trial when in reality he had more than enough assets and collateral to pay for his own attorneyAccording to charging documents filed by state officials
6/02/05
Hid two guns in a briefcase that he attempted to bring into a courthouse with him and was also found to be carrying methamphetamines and cocaine when court security searched himAccording to charging documents filed by federal officials
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Jack StickFmr. Conservative Lawyer
9/28/14
Drove erratically and was pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence, argued with the officer and refused to submit to a breathalyzer or field sobriety tests upon which he was arrested for drunk drivingAccording to charging documents filed by local police
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Michael CoxFmr. Sheriff [R-TX]
4/24/25
Solicited a prostitute in a sting operation where he negotiated a price for sex over the Internet but was arrested by undercover police officers when he arrived at the hotel room they sent him toAccording to charging documents filed by local officials11/05/15
Coerced a subordinate into taking an online certification course he personally would profit from with the help of his chief deputy who proctored the sham exam and submitted the results to state officialsAccording to charging documents filed by local officials