Everything you need to know from Senator John Cornyn's week fighting for Texas!










Good Friday afternoon –



It’s been a busy week for U.S. Senator John Cornyn.



Here are some highlights:



SEN. CORNYN HOLDS ANNUAL ACADEMY SEND OFF IN SAN ANTONIO



From the WOAI story
<[link removed]>
by Alfonso Liera and Natali Castillo:



Sen. Cornyn hosts annual send-off ceremony for Texas students headed to
service academies

by Alfonso Liera, Natali Castillo




SAN ANTONIO — Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) hosted his annual Service Academy
Send-Off Ceremony on Memorial Day at the Boeing Center at Tech Port on the
South Side.



The event was held to congratulate students who will be enlisting in the
military this summer.

Cornyn was joined by General Mark Welsh, who retired from the Air Force in
2016 after 40 years of service and now serves as the President of Texas A&M
University.



The senator and other local officials greeted approximately 120 students,
offering words of encouragement as the students prepare to embark on their next
journey.



When someone graduates from a military academy, they come out as officers.
From there, there are many opportunities and career paths as they embark on
their service career.



* Sen. Cornyn’s X post on this very special event --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>.


Additional local coverage from:

* ABC affiliate in San Antonio --
[link removed]

<[link removed]>


SEN. CORNYN HOLDS SMALL BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE IN WACO



From the Waco Tribune-Herald story
<[link removed]>
:



Cornyn visits with Waco-area business owners, pushes ‘big, beautiful bill’ tax
cuts for Trump

By Mike Copeland



U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, visited Waco on Tuesday to tout President
Donald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill,” which passed the House last
week by a single vote, and which Cornyn said the Senate must approve to avoid
tax increases for the average Texan.



Getting the deal done will take work, said Cornyn, who hosted a 30-minute
roundtable discussion Tuesday with four local small business owners who talked
about how their ventures benefited from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Congress
passed in 2017. The proposed bill would extend those cuts.



“Hope is alive,” said Cornyn, who said lawmakers ideally would get the package
passed by the end of July. He expects a razor-thin margin and believes voting
will fall along party lines. Fifty-three senators are Republicans, 45 are
Democrats and two consider themselves independents.



“Sen. Cornyn fully supports extending the individual tax provisions in the Tax
Cuts and Jobs Act to make life better for small business owners, Texans, and
all Americans,” said a fact sheet from his office.



“Extending the tax cuts would result in a 3.4% increase in after-tax incomes
in 2026, by some estimates.”

But not all Republicans are on the same page regarding the bill. Sen. Rand
Paul of Kentucky and Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin have publicly stated they
would not support the bill in its current form. They say it does nothing to
address bloated government spending and, in fact, would add $3.3 trillion to
the national debt over 10 years. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said
the deficit impact has been “overstated” and that opponents are underestimating
the economic momentum it would generate.

Cornyn said Republicans must prevail upon their colleagues to unify behind
President Trump’s campaign promises.



Kyle Citrano, whose family owns two George’s Restaurant locations locally and
last year opened Jorge’s Cantina on Franklin Avenue, said tax breaks which
arrived in 2018 reduced some of the economic pressure inherent in the
restaurant business, and probably made possible opening a third eatery. He said
the three establishments employ 500 people between them.



Citrano said inflation and rising food costs have forced his family to more
frequently analyze its menu offerings and prices. He said they once weighed
price changes every 18 months or longer, but now do so every six months.



“We’d like to do even more in Waco, but don’t know if we can without extension
of the tax cuts,” said Citrano during the roundtable.



Kirk Zander, who owns Utility Truck Equipment Co. and Utility Truck Equipment
Manufacturing in Hewitt, said losing tax cuts enacted in 2018 likely would slow
research and development and could necessitate layoffs.



He said inflation drove up prices on materials by 30% in 2021, forcing him
into conversations with customers whose orders would need to be reworked or
canceled due to changing economic conditions. With his tax liability reduced,
he weathered the storm and remains operating today.



Trey Lipsitz, president of M. Lipsitz and Co., the longstanding local scrap
metal company, said losing tax cuts could harm his ability to compete in a
changing industry.



“If you’re not growing, you become obsolete,” said Lipsitz.



John Peel, founder and CEO of Sticker Universe,
<[link removed]>
hosted Tuesday’s roundtable. He said a reduced tax burden has allowed him to
buy specialized and expensive equipment vital to growing his shop at 1207
Washington Ave.



“If Congress fails to extend the Trump Tax Cuts that expire at the end of this
year, 62% of Americans would see a tax increase in 2026, and the average family
of four making $75,000 a year would face a $1,500 tax increase next year,”
Cornyn’s release said. “Working families would see the child tax credit cut in
half, and Texans would see their taxes increase an average of $3,000.”



Cornyn said the bill represents a step toward federal fiscal responsibility
without affecting Social Security benefits or Medicare recipients. He said
passage does not mean the Trump administration would discontinue efforts to
prevent Medicaid abuse among the able-bodied and those illegally in the country.



Additional local coverage from:

* ABC affiliate in Waco –
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<[link removed]>
* CBS affiliate in Waco –
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<[link removed]>
* NBC affiliate in Waco –
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<[link removed]>
* Fox affiliate in Waco -- Sen. Cornyn visits Waco to discuss future of Trump
tax cuts with small business owners | KWKT - FOX 44
<[link removed]>
* Sen. Cornyn’s X post on the roundtable --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>


SEN. CORNYN TALKS ABOUT VETERANS MENTAL HEALTH IN TYLER



From the CBS 19 story
<[link removed]>
:



U.S. Sen. John Cornyn tours Camp V, talks veteran mental health

By Jason Garrett



TYLER, Texas — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn visited CampV, a one-stop shop of
resources for East Texas veterans, on Wednesday to discuss improving mental
health care for veterans.



CampV officials and other local mental health advocates had a roundtable
discussion with Cornyn, talking about personal stories of post-traumatic stress
disorder and helping fellow veterans with their mental health.



When the roundtable wrapped up, Cornyn toured CampV and its various services
on the property. The stops included a jujitsu demonstration and a mural painted
in honor of all the military branches.



"The biggest frustration I have is the veterans administration has almost
500,000 people working there, and Congress on a bipartisan basis, appropriates,
basically anything that we're told that the veterans need or the VA needs,"
Cornyn said. "But then to see that, that that gap between the people and the
resources and actually the services being rendered to the veterans. This is
where the rubber meets the road and what counts the most. All the rest of it is
just numbers on a page. This is what counts, and this is what works here at
CampV."



Cornyn also talked about his Republican primary challenger for his Senate
seat, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. He said he intends to have a vigorous
battle with Paxton to be the Republican nominee.



"Texas has been a red state for a long time, and that's all at risk if, if for
Republicans nominate somebody like the attorney general with his checkered
background and all the baggage that he brings to the race, and we'll be talking
about that during the course of the campaign," Cornyn said.



Additional local coverage:

* Longview News-Journal --
[link removed]

<[link removed]>
* Fox affiliate in Tyler --
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SEN. CORNYN APPEARS ON “The Will Cain Show” ON FOX NEWS IN DALLAS



You can watch Sen. Cornyn’s appearance in studio with Will Cain in Dallas from
Thursday on Fox News here --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>.



SEN. CORNYN & SEN. SCHMITT TEAM UP TO ANNOUNCE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
HEARING ON JUNE 18 TO PROBE THE BIDEN COVER UP



From the exclusive story
<[link removed]>
byAlex Miller on FoxNews.com:



Senate Republicans plan hearing on Biden's alleged cognitive decline cover-up



Senators Schmitt, Cornyn set date for first full congressional probe into
'conspiracy' behind Biden's decline



FIRST ON FOX — Senate Republicans
<[link removed]> plan to launch their own
investigation next month that delves into the alleged "conspiracy" behind
former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline.



Senators Eric Schmitt <[link removed]>, R-Mo.,
and John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced plans to hold a Senate Judiciary hearing
June 18 to look into the alleged cover-up of the 82-year-old former president’s
mental decline while in office by the media and those closest to him.



The lawmakers are still gathering witnesses for the probe, which would be the
first full congressional committee hearing on the subject.



"It’s time to expose how a cadre of Biden aides and family members were the de
facto commander in chief, whilePresident Biden
<[link removed]> was sidelined," Schmitt said in a
statement to Fox News Digital. "I look forward to getting the American people
the answers they deserve."



Both lawmakers contend Biden’s decline was hidden for "years."



Cornyn argued <[link removed]> the country
depended "on having a president who has the mental capacity to do the job, and
it's clear that President Biden did not, so we must use this hearing to uncover
the facts."



"For this conspiracy between the mainstream media, Joe Biden’s family and his
inner circle to have hidden the impairment of the president of the United
States for years, and lied consistently to the American people about his
capacity to make decisions, which are solely vested by the Constitution, is
unacceptable," Cornyn said in a statement to Fox News Digital.



Schmitt and Cornyn join a growing chorus of Republicans demanding answers
<[link removed]> about what really went on behind the
scenes during Biden’s presidency.



In the House, lawmakers are pushing to create a select committee that would
investigate the Biden administration’s allegedcover-up
<[link removed]>.



>> RELATED: Sen. Cornyn asked
<[link removed]> Attorney General Pam Bondi
to investigate whether federal laws were violated in the Biden cover up.



COVERAGE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL PAXTON FUNDING LEFT WING GROUPS WITH MILLIONS IN
TAXPAYER FUNDS



From the exclusive story
<[link removed]>
byCaroline Vakil in The Hill:



Cornyn campaign launches ad buy accusing Paxton of ‘funding the left’

By Caroline Vakil



Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) campaign is rolling out four new ads attacking
Texas Attorney General and Senate candidateKen Paxton
<[link removed]>(R) for money his office gave to
several Texas entities, accusing Paxton of “funding the left.”

The ads, roughly 30 seconds each and shared first with The Hill, criticize
Paxton for issuing grant money toLegal Aid of NorthWest Texas
<[link removed]>, the Tahirih Justice Center
<[link removed]>, the Montrose Center
<[link removed]> and Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid
<[link removed]>, insinuating the organizations
run counter to Republicans on issues related to immigration and gender.



For example, a narrator in one of the ads accuses the Montrose Center of
offering “gender programs for children as young as seven,” noting that it has
hosted “child-accessible drag shows.”



The Montrose Center, a group serving the LGBTQ+ Houston community, offers
various services, including case management and counseling. The group has
previously hosted events that have included drag shows —drawing national scorn
and scrutiny from some Republicans.



The ad is also likely referencing the center’s Hatch Youth, which the center
describes as “Houston’s oldest, currently active social group dedicated to
empowering LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults between the ages of 7 and 24.”



Cornyn’s team told The Hill that the ads are part of a five-figure digital buy.



Cornyn campaign senior adviser Matt Mackowiak
<[link removed]>alleged the grants had cost
millions of taxpayer dollars “approved that went to radical left organizations
that do not share our conservative Texas values,” describing Paxton as
“crooked” and suggesting “Texans cannot trust Ken Paxton.”



Paxton’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by
The Hill regarding the ads. …



The different groups mentioned in the Cornyn campaign ads were approved for
different types of grants in the past, largely under the “other victim
assistance grant,” whose service areas include direct victim services, victim
services training, outreach and education, victim assistance coordinator and
crime victim liaison.



That hasn’t stopped some of those groups from receiving scrutiny, however.
Paxtoninvestigated the Tahirih Justice Center
<[link removed]>
, a recipient of Texas Bar Foundation funding, in 2022 to see “whether these
funds are being used to exacerbate the current crisis at the border and to
thwart the efforts of federal and state law enforcement to secure the border.”



Republicans are bracing for a bitter primary between Cornyn and Paxton as
Cornyn vies for a fifth term in the Senate. Paxton has described Cornyn as a
RINO, or a Republican in name only, while Cornyn’s campaign has called Paxton a
“fraud.”



Related:

* Statement by Cornyn spokesman Matt Mackowiak here –
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<[link removed]>
* Full thread on the article here --
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<[link removed]>
* Cornyn spokesman Matt Mackowiak responds to Paxton aide Michelle Smith’s
hysteria over the left wing grants approved by AG Paxton --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Full thread on this story here --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>


SEXUAL HARASSMENT LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST TWO OF AG PAXTON’S TOP STAFFERS



From the Texas Tribune story
<[link removed]>
byZach Despart:



Top deputies to Attorney General Ken Paxton pushed out over sexual harassment
allegations, lawsuit says



The harassment allegedly took place while the two were on leave from the
agency working on Paxton’s impeachment defense.



By Zach Despart

Two of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s top deputies were forced to resign
in 2023 over allegations of harassment, according to court filings included in
a lawsuit Tuesday.



Judd Stone, the former solicitor general, and Chris Hilton, an assistant
attorney general, were sued in federal court by Jordan Eskew, another former
employee of the attorney general’s office. Eskew alleges that she was subjected
to sexual harassment by Stone, and that Hilton verbally berated her and took no
action to protect her from Stone’s inappropriate comments. The harassment took
place, she said, while the three were on leave from the state agency to work on
Paxton’s defense team during his 2023 impeachment trial.



“State law requires that the OAG and managers immediately take action to stop
sexual harassment,” First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster wrote to
another agency employee in December 2024, in an email that was included in the
lawsuit. “Judd and Chris would be notified that they would be terminated if
they did not resign.”



Stone and Hilton, through a spokesperson, said they left the attorney
general’s office voluntarily because Webster was a “petty tyrant.”



“Brent Webster has a personal vendetta against Mr. Hilton and Mr. Stone,” said
a spokesperson for their law firm, Stone Hilton. “This lawsuit is his creation
and a complete fabrication.



The attorney general’s office in 2023 confirmed their exits, but did not give
reason for their resignations.

Stone shared violent rape fantasies with Eskew, the complaint alleges. It also
claims Stone regularly berated her calling her “white trash” in one instance;
in another, it states that Stone “began screaming” at Eskew over a spreadsheet.
The complaint describes Hilton as witnessing many of these interactions and
failing to intervene.



Stone, who joined the attorney general’s office in 2021, was responsible for
representing the state of Texas in court, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
Hilton, who was hired in 2016, led the general litigation division.



After Paxton was acquitted by the Senate in September 2023, Stone, Hilton,
Eskew and other employees who took leave to defend him returned to the attorney
general’s office.



According to Webster’s email, which Eskew’s lawyer included in the complaint,
two women who worked with Stone and Hilton during the impeachment in October
separately reported “credible complaints of sexual misconduct.”



Webster said he notified Paxton, who was “shocked and appalled” at the
allegations and agreed to take immediate action. Agency staff confronted Stone
about the behavior, Webster wrote, and Stone “promptly admitted that all of the
allegations were true.”



Webster said no further investigation was necessary since Stone had confessed
to the behavior he was accused of. He added that the agency’s human resources
staff said it was customary to allow employees accused of misconduct to resign
in lieu of termination.



Stone and Hilton resigned on October 17, 2023. In their brief resignation
letters, they gave no reason for their departures.



“It has been my distinct pleasure to serve the people of Texas,” Stone wrote.



Additional media coverage:

* Bloomberg Law –
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<[link removed]>
* 404 Media --
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Related:

* AG Paxton hired Judd Stone to be Solicitor General AFTER he was fired by
Sen.Ted Cruz for harassment --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>


FOR YOUR RADAR:

* It’s been 15 days since Ken Paxton’s Personal Financial Disclosure was due.
He ignored a federal deadline and is hiding financial information from voters.
* PLEASE SHARE: Tweet from Cornyn spokesman Matt Mackowiak here --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Sen. Cornyn will appear on WFAA’s “Inside Texas Politics” on Sunday at 9am
in DFW. Check local listings for air times in other TX markets. Set your DVR!


X POSTS TO SHARE:

* Sen. Cornyn details a visit to Boeing in San Antonio --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Sen. Cornyn pushing for work requirements in the Big, Beautiful bill --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Sen. Cornyn met with Baylor Law School alumni and Federalist Society
members in Waco --[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Sen. Cornyn thanks President Trump and the Small Business Administration
for approving a disaster declaration in South Texas and notes recovery centers
are now open in Hidalgo, Starr, Willacy and Cameron County --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Sen. Cornyn details a visit to Tyler focused on veterans mental health --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Sen. Cornyn met with East Texas Scouts in Tyler --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Sen. Cornyn expresses sadness for the death of Ava Moore, a Texas resident
who was killed by an illegal immigrant as she prepared to attend the Air Force
Academy --[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* The Republican Jewish Coalition endorsed Sen. Cornyn for re-election --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Sen. Cornyn met with local Republicans in Tyler & Longview --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* NRSC highlights the Cornyn/Schmitt June 18 hearing on the Biden cover up --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Cornyn campaign spokesman Matt Mackowiak highlights Sen. Cornyn telling
Will Cain that we had a ‘mentally incompetent’ President --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Here is a list of possible crimes committed --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Sen. Cornyn thanking Elon Musk for his work to root out waste, fraud and
abuse in the federal government --
[link removed]
<[link removed]>


STAY UP TO DATE:

* Accounts to follow:
* X: @JohnCornyn <[link removed]>
* X: @teamcornyn <[link removed]>
* YouTube: Cornyn campaign <[link removed]>
* FB: John Cornyn <[link removed]>
* IG: John Cornyn <[link removed]>
* Sign up for campaign emails: [link removed]
<[link removed]>
* Donate to the Cornyn campaign here
<[link removed]*13i4w2m*_gcl_au*MTM2OTQyMTY5Mi4xNzQwNTkxODgz&_ga=2.61785764.942222688.1740682845-1833584768.1740591883>
.
* Sign up to volunteer here <[link removed]>.




























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