Trump-mocked Texas Senate hopeful bites the hand that feeds him in leaked clip

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for U. S. Senate, was recorded at a September 24 private fundraising lunch telling conservative donors and lobbyists that he has little say over his own campaign. Politico obtained the audio about 30 days before the midterms. Paxton said messaging in a federal contest tends to originate with other people, and that the direction was coming from Washington. He did not name President Donald Trump's team, though an attendee told Politico that everyone present understood the reference. Paxton adviser Nick Maddux told The Independent the remarks concerned super PACs, and said the candidate is campaigning daily and has launched a statewide television buy.

The leak lands amid friction with the president, who endorsed Paxton in May after a bitter primary against Sen. John Cornyn. Trump has since directed $20 million from MAGA Inc to the race against Democrat James Talarico, who leads by 6 points in the latest New York Times/Siena poll. Trump has called Paxton a "pain in the ass" publicly and joked about his wardrobe at the Dallas convention.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →