Key Trump campaign ally slams Steve Bannon as 'Epstein lackey'

Many well-known conservatives, from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) to veteran Washington Post columnist George Will to former Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Matthews, are saying that if far-right Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton becomes the GOP nominee in that state's 2026 U.S. Senate race, the seat could be in play for Democrats. And that's saying a lot, as Texas hasn't had a Democratic U.S. senator since 1993.

President Donald Trump, so far, hasn't endorsed either Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the incumbent, or his ultra-MAGA challenger Paxton in that primary. But some of Trump's allies are having a bitter argument over it.

Chris LaCivita and pollster Tony Fabrizio, two major GOP operatives and Trump allies, are supporting Cornyn. But "War Room" host Steve Bannon, Politico Playbook reports, is "going all-in for Ken Paxton and slamming Trump's top campaign aides for backing John Cornyn."

LaCivita is calling Bannon out. In a text to Politico Playbook, LaCivita wrote, "associating with Senator Cornyn is better than being a lacky (sic) for Epstein."

That comment, Playbook's Adam Wren notes, was an "apparent reference to Bannon’s newly surfaced ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein."

Bannon told Playbook, "My belief is the Trump team should have stayed out of this race, absolutely. ... The Paxton situation is critical, because he has been the MAGA guy since Day One. He is a symbol of the heart of the grassroots MAGA movement."