A Dallas-based political consultant and a donor who once ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for a West Texas Congressional seat were responsible for a political action committee started under the guise of seeking Tucker Carlson to run for President that has been described as a “Scam PAC” by Carlson’s attorney. The committee quickly shut down after a lawyer for Carlson demanded it cease operations.
In a tweet posted in response to an Epoch Times article about the creation of the “Draft Tucker” PAC, Carlson’s attorney Harmeet Dhillon stated, “It’s that season — SCAM PAC season! Everyone who donates to this frivolous and transparently self-serving attempt by total strangers to collect money and donor data using Tucker’s name and likeness, is getting ripped off and will probably get their name on a list for endless political donation pitches on behalf of some other candidate. It is dishonest to raise money using some else’s name without their consent, period. I understand Newsmax is running an ad based on this fraud. I hope they stop making a quick buck from this scam too. They owe their viewers better than this.”
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Dhillon also serves as a member of the Republican National Committee from California and recently challenged Ronna McDaniel to lead the Republican National Committee.
As reported by The Hill and other media outlets, the “Draft Tucker” PAC was started by Dallas political donor Chris Ekstrom, who briefly moved to Wichita Falls to run for Congressional District 13 in the 2020 Republican Primary. After coming in a distant third place despite spending over $1.1 million of his own money, Ekstrom blamed his loss on voters in the district whom he described as “village idiots” and “mentally deficient.” Donors to Ekstrom’s failed Congressional campaign included Matt Rinaldi, who currently serves as Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. Billionaire businessman Farris Wilks, who is one of the largest donors to the Defend Texas Liberty PAC, was also a donor to Ekstrom’s campaign.
In a tweet, Ekstrom described Dhillon’s comments critical of his PAC as “Grandstanding from a TV Lawyer & LOSER!”
Ekstrom has used Twitter to express his contempt for Republican Presidential candidates Nikki Haley and Donald Trump, frequently using the word “bitch” to describe them. In one tweet, Ekstrom called Haley a “vile bitch”, while in another tweet he referred to Trump as Mitch McConnell’s “bitch.” In other tweets, Ekstrom accused Trump of “GROOMER ENABLING” and being a “proven globalist.”
Meanwhile, Ekstrom has been complimentary of Rinaldi’s leadership of the Republican Party of Texas, describing Rinaldi earlier this month as “the BEST & the FIRST truly CONSERVATIVE CHAIRMAN of the Texas GOP!”
Charlie Kolean, who owns the political consulting firm Strategic Political Management, served as Executive Director of the “Draft Tucker” PAC. Kolean’s firm was paid over $54,000 by David Lowe, who unsuccessfully challenged State Representative Stephanie Klick. Defend Texas Liberty was also a client of Kolean’s firm, paying it $1,500 in May 2022.
Ekstrom has also been critical of Klick, accusing her of being a “Trans Kid Enabler” and has claimed that she is “damned with a Millstone by Our Savior.”
As Chair of the House Public Health Committee, Klick has a long record of supporting legislation to restrict abortion and prohibit gender transition. Klick is a joint sponsor of Senate Bill 14, which prohibits children from receiving gender transitioning treatments, and was a joint author of the House version of the bill. Senate Bill 14 has passed both chambers of the legislature and is awaiting the Governor’s signature.
