'Snitches': Ken Paxton’s leaked rants ignite hunt for who and why

US President Donald Trump and Republican US Senate candidate Ken Paxton attend a campaign rally at Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas, US, October 7, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

Another recording of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was leaked to the press for a Friday report, prompting questions about who leaked it and why.

CNN published audio of the new leak and said it received it from “an attendee who opposes Paxton.”

The recordings are all from a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 24 with a small group of lobbyists and insiders. The reports have described the event as having fewer than 20 people and the source has never been revealed.

The recording, Friday, shows Paxton complaining that outgoing U.S. Sen. Ken Paxton (R-Texas) wants him "to lose."

The Texas Monthly noted this week that "snitches" have become the latest in a long line of problems for Paxton's campaign.

"Believe it or not, a lot of campaigns conclude without this happening once. The gist of all three is that Paxton is not currently having fun, not a good time at all, on the trail. This is not as surprising or revelatory as the Pentagon Papers, though it’s useful to have it confirmed. But the fact that the leaks happened, and the nature of them, is pretty interesting and invites speculation," wrote reporter Christopher Hooks.

He asks whether the "wired up" person is a fan of James Talarico or Cornyn, but also suggests a third option.

"Republicans have allocated more than a hundred million dollars to save Ken Paxton — something Senate Republicans warned would happen if Cornyn lost the primary," wrote Hooks. "There are surely a lot of GOP loyalists who are p—— about this and would rather send that money to places like Michigan, Maine or Ohio, where it would do a lot more good."

Shortly after the GOP primary, Cornyn told the Texas Tribune that Paxton wasn't the right choice for a president who prioritizes loyalty over capability. He alleged that Paxton is "lazy" and can't fundraise or campaign. Everything that Cornyn warned would happen is unfolding exactly as he predicted.

Meanwhile, Paxton is responding by "preparing to blame others for what might be one of the most embarrassing defeats in modern political history," said former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.).

Trump has backed Paxton, endorsing him in the primary and repeatedly campaigning for him in Texas. A loss would be a significant political embarrassment for the president, especially as Republicans fight to retain the Senate.

Trump has sought to reshape the Republican Party around loyalty to him, backing primary challengers against lawmakers who buck his policy demands. But success in a Republican primary does not guarantee victory in November. This year, Republicans face slowing job growth, higher food and gasoline prices, and average wage growth that has fallen below the latest available inflation reading. Trump’s war with Iran has also weighed on his approval ratings and his party’s election prospects.

As the GOP begins to triage in the final 26 days of the election, the Paxton recordings have exposed Republican tensions around his candidacy, but also that of other Trump-supported candidates. Still, the identity and motives of those distributing the Paxton audio clips remain publicly unresolved.

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