A Texas congressman dodged questions about Ken Paxton's scandals on Wednesday, pivoting to culture war attacks on the Democrat who will face the newly minted GOP Senate nominee in November.
The confrontation came on the Charlie Kirk Show, where host Andrew Kolvet pressed Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) to respond to critics — including New York Times conservative columnist David French — who argued that Republican primary voters actively embrace corruption rather than merely tolerate it.
Kolvet cited French's post on X following Paxton's 63.8% primary win over Sen. John Cornyn on Tuesday. "Can we be done with the pretense that Republican primary voters vote for MAGA candidates in spite of their apostasy and corruption?" French wrote. "The transgression is a feature, not a bug."
French later doubled down, writing that establishment Republicans who attack corruption in a primary and then immediately fall in line prove "how few principles they have."
Kolvet summarized French's argument bluntly, asking Gill what he had to say to people "attacking Ken Paxton's character" over his "moral failures" — and suggesting that for MAGA voters, "corruption is a feature, not a bug."
Paxton's record gives that critique plenty of material. The attorney general was impeached 121-23 by his own Republican colleagues on charges including bribery and abuse of public trust. Eight of his top deputies reported him to the FBI. A court ordered $6.6 million in damages to whistleblowers he fired. His wife filed for divorce, citing adultery.
Gill never answered the question. Instead, he unloaded on Democratic nominee James Talarico, calling him a "freak and lunatic" over his 2021 statement that modern science recognizes six biological sexes, and mocking his immigration position that the border should have a "giant welcome mat."
"Integrity means also having, not contorting scripture and living in reality," Gill said, "and Talarico certainly does not."
Kolvet's response: "I completely agree, by the way."