Amid continued fallout from the revelation that Jonathan Stickland, who served as President of the Defend Texas Liberty PAC, had met with well-known white nationalist and Hitler admirer Nick Fuentes, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced that his campaign would purchase $3 million in Israeli government bonds.
Patrick, who received $3 million in contributions and loans from Defend Texas Liberty earlier this year, had been under pressure from Speaker Dade Phelan to donate the funds he had received from Defend Texas Liberty. In his statement announcing the purchase of the Israeli bonds, Patrick strongly condemned those who spread anti-Semitic views within the Republican Party.
“Since the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists, Texans have been horrified and outraged at the brutal slaughter of innocent civilians of all ages. As a longtime supporter of Israel, I share that outrage. I am equally appalled about what I am learning about the anti-Semitic activities among some in Texas who call themselves conservatives and Republicans. Recently, I condemned Nick Fuentes, an avowed anti-Semite, when I learned he had met with the President of Defend Texas Liberty PAC (DTL). I was assured changes would be made. I have also learned there are other so-called Republicans who share these hateful beliefs and are trying to spread their anti-Semitic views within the GOP, said Patrick.
“Let me put this as clearly as I can — if you are anti-Semitic, if you admire Hitler and don’t believe the Holocaust happened in Europe, if you hate Jews, you are NOT a Republican and you are not welcome in our party. Every Republican group in the state, no matter how small or how large, including our State Party, needs to root out this cancer. Before anyone is hired or appointed to a position of leadership, in addition to their resume and work record, their social media needs to be reviewed. Those who are anti-Semitic are not welcome in our party.”
Earlier this week, The Texas Voice reported that 22 members of the State Republican Executive Committee had signed a letter calling on the Republican Party of Texas to distance itself from Stickland and Defend Texas Liberty. Allies of Stickland and Republican Party of Texas State Chairman Matt Rinaldi were said to have engaged in efforts to pressure members of the State Republican Executive Committee not to sign the letter. The Republican Party of Texas has become increasingly reliant on financial support from Defend Texas Liberty, having received $257,500 from Defend Texas Liberty since 2022.
Defend Texas Liberty has contributed to many allied organizations since it launched in 2020. While some of the organizations that have received funds are organized as Political Action Committees, which have strict public disclosure requirements, others are organized as nonprofit corporations, which do not have the same reporting requirements that Political Action Committees do.
The Texas Voice has reviewed campaign finance reports filed by Defend Texas Liberty and has identified the following organizations as having received funds from Defend Texas Liberty.
Make Liberty Win PAC- $30,000
Texas Gun Rights PAC- $12,500
Parker County Conservatives PAC- $20,000
Trinity Conservative Coalition- $2,500
American Principles Project- $5,000
Conservative Response Team, Inc.- $15,000
Recover America Action- $10,000
Conservative Republicans of Texas PAC- $192,000
Republican Party of Texas- $257,500
Abolish Abortion Texas- $12,500
Wise County Conservatives- $2,000
Texas Home School Coalition- $112,500
Grayson County Conservatives- $7,500
Collin County Conservative Republicans- $14,000
Hood County Republicans PAC- $10,000
Kaufman County Conservative Republicans- $5,000
Texas Patriots PAC- $15,000
True Texas Project PAC– $45,731.97
True Texas Project, Inc.- $22,000
National Association for Gun Rights- $46,000
Tarrant County Patriots PAC- $65,000 (Defend Texas Liberty has been the sole donor to Tarrant County Patriots PAC. The Treasurer of Tarrant County Patriots PAC, Cary Cheshire, also works as Executive Director of Texas for Strong Borders)
Texans For Strong Borders PAC- $15,000
Republican Party of Bexar County- $46,000
Strong Borders Action, Inc. (d/b/a Texans for Strong Borders)- $112,000
Texans for Vaccine Choice- $3,500
Empower Texans- $1,820
Texas Scorecard- $5,000
Strong Borders Foundation- $3,000
Young Americans for Liberty- $40,000
Texas Taxpayer Advocates (d/b/a Texans for Fiscal Responsibility)- $22,500
