Deposition Ties National GOP Women’s Group to Transgender Youth Texts

The Texas Tribune

AUSTIN, TX — A text campaign referencing material for LGBTQ+ youth that caused backlash across Texas was sent on behalf of a national Republican caucus fund, according to the messaging company that sent the texts.

The “Republican Women Caucus Fund“ and an individual named John Braun were the senders of the texts, according to a deposition from messaging company Infobip that a Travis County judge ordered be made non-confidential. No information about Braun was provided in the deposition beyond his name.

A spokesperson for the Republican Women’s Caucus Fund said in a statement that the group had “absolutely no involvement” in sending the texts or similar mailers that were sent to Texas homes.

“We did not authorize, fund, direct, coordinate, or participate in these activities in any capacity,” the spokesperson said. “We categorically reject these false allegations and are pursuing all available legal remedies to protect our organization and hold those responsible accountable.”

The texts linked to resources on the Transgender Education Network of Texas website. They advertised guides on “bathrooms and beyond for trans kids at school” and answers to questions about gender-affirming care in Texas. 

Days after the texts were sent, mailers from the Texas Transgender Student Union began arriving in mailboxes across the state, addressed to the “students” of the households they were sent to. Similar to the texts, the mailers repeatedly reference TENT despite the group stating is has no affiliation with the sender.

The student union group that sent the mailer was registered in Wyoming in early September, business records show. 

TENT filed a petition in Travis County court asking District Judge Jan Soifer to order depositions for this week that would reveal the identity of the texts’ and mailers’ senders. TENT said it felt the texts and mailers, sent right before early voting in the midterm elections, were designed to agitate voters and cause reputational harm to their organization.

Soifer’s order came late Tuesday amid opposition from the Wyoming group’s lawyer, Chris Hilton, who is a former lawyer for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office.

It is unclear whether the Caucus Fund and Braun have any alleged involvement in sending the mailers. The deposition from Infobip said it had no knowledge of maintaining a business relationship with the Wyoming group that sent them.

TENT is not alone in seeking the origin of the mailers and texts. State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, asked Paxton’s office to investigate who sent the materials in two separate letters after the texts and mailers were received across Texas.

West Texas District Attorney Sarah Stogner opened a criminal investigation into the mailers last week for potential forgery, and said she was worried they were sent to influence the election currently underway.