Feud pits Texas GOP senator against AG Ken Paxton: 'Criminal defense lawyers are calling'

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his state's senior senator, John Cornyn, publicly feuded over the senator's vote to advance a foreign aid bill Tuesday.

Cornyn joined other Republicans to defeat a conservative filibuster of the $95 billion aid package to Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine — over staunch opposition from former president Donald Trump — and Paxton agreed with right-wing commentators on X that the Texas Republican was more concerned with the security of other countries rather than America's.

"This is a question all Texans should be asking," Paxton wrote. "Unbelievable that @JohnCornyn would stay up all night to defend other countries' borders, but not America."

The GOP senator fired back with a reference to Paxton's nearly nine-year-old securities fraud case, which could finally go to trial as early as April, and a separate federal investigation into bribery and other alleged crimes.

ALSO READ: ‘Worst scenario’: Republican senator feeling used and abused by MAGA

"Ken, your criminal defense lawyers are calling to suggest you spend less time pushing Russian propaganda and more time defending longstanding felony charges against you in Houston, as well as ongoing federal grand jury proceedings in San Antonio that will probably result in further criminal charges," Cornyn said.

Paxton survived an impeachment effort last year by the state legislature over corruption and bribery allegations with an acquittal in the state Senate.