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On Monday, the Texas Republican party faced a significant uproar following the disclosure that a prominent conservative PAC leader had hosted a white supremacist at his office last week. This revelation prompted an outpouring of criticism and internal conflicts among party members. The House speaker, along with a majority of his caucus, called for the return of political donations, while the lieutenant governor issued a bold demand for the speaker’s resignation.
The escalating civil war within the Texas GOP was brought to light with the recriminations, diverting attention from the first day of a special session initiated by Gov. Greg Abbott. The session aimed to provide parents with vouchers for private school enrollment but was overshadowed. At the end of the day, the only consensus among Texas Republicans seemed to be their condemnation of antisemitism and the lethal attack by the militant group Hamas on Israel over the weekend.
The day began with House Speaker Dade Phelan responding to The Texas Tribune’s reporting that Defend Texas Liberty PAC President Jonathan Stickland hosted antisemitic white supremacist Nick Fuentes at his office building for nearly seven hours on Friday. “This [is] not just a casual misstep,” Phelan said in a statement. “It’s indicative of the moral, political rot that has been festering in a certain segment of our party for far too long. Anti-Semitism, bigotry and Hitler apologists should find no sanctuary in the Republican Party. Period. We cannot – and must not – tolerate the tacit endorsement of such vile ideologies.”
While highlighting Fuentes’ past as a “Nazi sympathizer,” Phelan referenced the Hamas attack. Fuentes has expressed admiration for Hitler, advocated for a “holy war” against Jews, and voiced his desire for revenge against his adversaries and the ultimate triumph of the Aryan race.
Phelan demanded that elected officials — notably Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who recently received $3 million from Defend Texas Liberty in loans and donations — give all money they received from the PAC to charity. Later Monday, 60 members of the Texas House Republican Caucus released a similar statement calling for elected officials to return or donate money from Defend Texas Liberty.
The letter from the caucus stated that we should never allow hate or revisionism to compromise the honor and integrity of our offices.
Phelan’s statement prompted Patrick to denounce Fuentes and condemn antisemitism, although his strongest criticism was directed at Phelan himself. Patrick accused Phelan of using the war for personal political advantage and demanded his resignation as speaker before the Texas House convened for a special session on Monday. Notably, Patrick did not mention Stickland or Defend Texas Liberty PAC.
Patrick expressed his firm belief that Nick Fuentes and his offensive, anti-Semitic language should not be tolerated within the United States. Patrick emphasized that those who promote such hateful and repugnant ideas will ultimately face consequences for their actions. He strongly condemned any attempts to exploit these derogatory remarks for personal political advantage, deeming such behavior utterly despicable.
On Monday, Patrick seemed to have established the precedent for how others in a difficult position would handle the situation. The Defend Texas Liberty PAC and those who received their financial support released statements throughout the day, targeting Phelan and demanding his resignation. While they expressed disapproval towards Fuentes, they remained silent on whether they would give back the funds received from Defend Texas Liberty. Furthermore, Stickland’s role in hosting the meeting went uncriticized by them.
In a concise two-sentence statement addressing the report, the PAC expressed their disagreement with Speaker Phelan’s attempt to merge Defend Texas Liberty PAC with Nick Fuentes. Furthermore, they made it clear that they are against Mr. Fuentes’ provocative perspectives.
Fuentes’ presence at their office remained unexplained as the statement failed to provide any clarification. Strickland remained unresponsive to inquiries both on Sunday and Monday.
Acting on a tip, a Tribune reporter and photographer on Friday observed Fuentes and others — including Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of homicide after killing two men at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 — enter the one-story office of Pale Horse Strategies outside of Fort Worth. Pale Horse Strategies is a consulting firm owned by Stickland to advise far-right candidates; it has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Defend Texas Liberty PAC, where he also serves as president.
Matt Rinaldi, the Chair of the Republican Party of Texas, was seen visiting the office for approximately 45 minutes at the same time as Fuentes. However, Rinaldi claims that he had no knowledge of Fuentes’ presence and strongly disapproves of him. Rinaldi stated that he would never agree to a meeting with Fuentes, even if given the opportunity.
In his statement, Phelan took aim at Rinaldi, a supporter of Stickland, pointing out that the Texas GOP has received $132,500 from the group during this election period. He urged the state party to give back the funds, even if it means operating at a financial loss.
Rinaldi responded to Phelan’s message by calling on him to resign.
While other Republicans persistently battled on Monday evening, Abbott delivered a short speech at an Austin Jewish community center during an event advocating for Israel. Notably, he chose not to address the ongoing controversy surrounding Defend Texas Liberty, an organization that had recently funded a primary opponent against him.
Defend Texas Liberty is funded by two West Texas oil billionaires — Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks — who are also Attorney General Ken Paxton’s biggest donors. Earlier this year, the group made headlines after it gave $3 million in loans and donations to Patrick ahead of Paxton’s impeachment trial in the Texas Senate, over which Patrick presided. Neither Paxton, who was acquitted, nor Patrick responded to requests for comment.
Dunn and Wilks also could not be reached for comment on Monday. Dunn did, however, post on X, formerly Twitter, that he had been named a “top 50 Christian ally of Israel” and called on “all people to stand with Israel at this time of need.” The post linked to a 2022 list of prominent Christians that included John Hagee, the chair of Christians United for Israel, who once said that “God sent Hitler” to drive the Jews out of Europe and into Jerusalem.
Since 2021, Defend Texas Liberty has given nearly $15 million to ultraconservative candidates as it tries to unseat fellow Republicans, including Phelan, who it argues are not conservative enough. The group is a key part of a network of nonprofits, media companies, campaigns and institutions that Dunn, Wilks and Wilks’ brother Dan Wilks have given more than $100 million to push their ultraconservative religious and anti-LGBTQ+ views.
In 2022, candidates challenging incumbent Republicans received over $5 million in campaign donations from Defend Texas Liberty, according to campaign finance records. The majority of these funds were allocated to Don Huffines, a former state senator and real estate developer, who, despite his efforts, was unsuccessful in his bid to contest Abbott in the Republican primary.
Defend Texas Liberty has also bankrolled some of the most conservative members of the Legislature, including Tony Tinderholt of Arlington and Bryan Slaton of Royse City. Slaton was ousted from the Texas House in May after House investigators found that he gave alcohol to a 19-year-old aide and had sex with her.
Tinderholt has been granted $123,000 from the PAC, making him one of the top recipients alongside Patrick and Paxton. When questioned about this matter during a session in the House, Tinderholt directed attention to a previously issued statement where he urged Phelan to step down and voiced his solidarity with Israel. However, he did not address whether he plans to reimburse the funds or acknowledge any involvement with Defend Texas Liberty.
He stated, “Mr. Fuentes or anyone else will never receive my acceptance of racism or antisemitism. Furthermore, I won’t permit Dade Phelan to manipulate a significant tragedy involving Israel, a steadfast ally, for personal political advantage.”
Other Defend Texas Liberty beneficiaries declined or did not respond to requests for comment, including Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, and Alexandra del Moral Mealer, who received $100,000 from the PAC during her unsuccessful 2022 bid for Harris County Judge.
Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth, released a statement Monday in which he called the Tribune’s story a “hit piece” and slammed other House Republicans for “attacking a conservative political organization that has consistently opposed” Phelan. Schatzline has received $174,000 from Defend Texas Liberty.
Fuentes’ visit to Pale Horse comes as the far-right of the Texas GOP continues to elevate extreme rhetoric and conspiracy theories amid an ongoing civil with Phelan and other more establishment members, and as antisemitism and hate crimes continue to skyrocket in the state and nationally.
Although Fuentes’ support for Hitler is evident, he has not been completely ostracized from right-wing communities. Notably, staunch Republicans such as U.S. Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia and Paul Gosar from Arizona have participated in Fuentes’ yearly conference, even sharing the stage with openly declared white supremacists.
Fuentes’ acolytes have also been employed in powerful positions in the GOP. In July, the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fired a staffer after it was revealed that he created and then shared a pro-DeSantis video that featured a Nazi symbol. And, earlier this year, Ella Maulding moved from Mississippi to Fort Worth to work as a social media coordinator for Pale Horse Strategies.
During the Friday meeting with Fuentes, Maulding was closely observed for several hours. Additionally, she took some time outside to create a video for Texans for Strong Borders, an advocacy group. In the video, she urged Texas lawmakers to take strict measures against immigration during the special legislative session that commenced on Monday.
Chris Russo, the group’s founder, was spotted chauffeuring Fuentes to the Pale Horse Strategies meeting on Friday. The group aims to address and mitigate both legal and illegal immigration.
