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PoliticsActive today · day 7

WSJ video shows Ken Paxton partying in Dubai with indicted fugitive donors

New footage adds to a string of leaks battering the Trump-backed Texas Senate candidate weeks before Election Day.

Part of a larger narrative

Trump's 2022 Midterm Strategy

4 stories · since Sep 27 · newest 3h ago — Trump intensifies his involvement in the 2022 midterm cycle, holding rallies and endorsing candidates while facing criticism from within his own party over his…

  1. Investigation: Paxton’s state security detail cost Texans $3.3M, most trips unexplained
  2. WSJ video shows Ken Paxton partying in Dubai with indicted fugitive donorsyou are here
  3. Ken Paxton needles Trump's team again in new leaked clip
  4. Republicans spend $131M in 17 days to rescue Paxton in Texas Senate race

What to know

  • WSJ video shows Paxton with two federally indicted fugitives and a woman who isn't his wife at a Dubai New Year's party, days after a string of other leaked-audio scandals.
  • The two men present, Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail, were indicted on healthcare fraud/embezzlement charges and had donated $190,000 to Paxton's campaigns, some after indictment.
  • WSJ reports Trump was warned of coming damaging revelations before endorsing Paxton and dismissed the warning.
  • Paxton trails Democrat James Talarico in most polls with the Texas Senate race entering its final weeks.

The dispute Commenters disagree on whether the Dubai revelations will actually move votes, given deep partisan loyalty among the GOP base. · positions read across 25 posts and comments

many voices

The Dubai trip is blatant proof of corruption among Republican elites who preach 'values' while living lavishly off fraud donors.

  • “Ken Paxton partied in a Dubai high-rise with two fugitives accused of looting $15M from a hospital. They gave him $190K, $25K of it after the indictment.”

    ctrlaltresist.com · Bluesky ↗
some voices

None of this will matter to the Republican base, who vote on party label alone.

  • “Basically, the only thing you need for a conservative to vote for you is an R next to your name”

    TERRAIN_PULL_UP_ · Reddit comment ↗
some voices

If the scandal costs Republicans Texas, it could reshape the national electoral map for years.

  • “Haha tell me about it. If somehow Texas were to flip, there is almost no path to a Republican Presidency. We may actually have more than 8 years to get things back on track.”

    forgedbygeeks · Reddit comment ↗

Ken PaxtonKen Paxton Texas Attorney General, GOP Senate nomineeJames TalaricoJames Talarico Democratic Senate candidateDonald TrumpDonald Trump President, endorsed PaxtonJohn CornynJohn Cornyn Outgoing Texas senatorAnosh Ahmed Indicted fugitive, Paxton donorSameer Suhail Indicted fugitive

WSJ video shows Ken Paxton partying in Dubai with indicted fugitive donors
Washington Examiner

How it unfolded 7 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesvideospostscomments

Peak 18 pieces in two hours at Oct 12, 8 PM; 151 pieces over 7 days (95 articles · 3 videos · 46 posts · 7 comments) Oct 7, 4 AM — 4 pieces · 3 articles · 1 post — Mastodon 2, Newswires 2Oct 7, 6 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Oct 7, 8 AM — 5 pieces · 4 articles · 1 post — Newswires 3, Reddit 1, Google News 1Oct 7, 10 AM — 17 pieces · 15 articles · 2 posts — Newswires 15, Mastodon 1, Reddit 1Oct 7, 12 PM — 8 pieces · 5 articles · 2 videos · 1 post — Newswires 5, YouTube 2, Reddit 1Oct 7, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Oct 7, 4 PM — quietOct 7, 6 PM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Mastodon 1, Reddit 1Oct 7, 8 PM — 7 pieces · 6 articles · 1 comment — Google News 6, Reddit 1Oct 7, 10 PM — quietOct 8, 12 AM — quietOct 8, 2 AM — quietOct 8, 4 AM — 6 pieces · 6 articles — Google News 4, Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Oct 8, 6 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Oct 8, 8 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Oct 8, 10 AM — 8 pieces · 7 articles · 1 post — Newswires 7, Reddit 1Oct 8, 12 PM — quietOct 8, 2 PM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Newswires 1, Mastodon 1Oct 8, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Oct 8, 6 PM — quietOct 8, 8 PM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Reddit 1Oct 8, 10 PM — quietOct 9, 12 AM — quietOct 9, 2 AM — quietOct 9, 4 AM — 7 pieces · 4 articles · 3 posts — Mastodon 5, Google News 2Oct 9, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Oct 9, 8 AM — 5 pieces · 2 articles · 1 video · 2 posts — Newswires 2, YouTube 1, Mastodon 1, +1 moreOct 9, 10 AM — 5 pieces · 5 articles — Newswires 5Oct 9, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Oct 9, 2 PM — quietOct 9, 4 PM — 4 pieces · 3 articles · 1 post — Google News 2, Bluesky 1, Newswires 1Oct 9, 6 PM — quietOct 9, 8 PM — quietOct 9, 10 PM — quietOct 10, 12 AM — quietOct 10, 2 AM — quietOct 10, 4 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Oct 10, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Reddit 1Oct 10, 8 AM — quietOct 10, 10 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Oct 10, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Oct 10, 2 PM — quietOct 10, 4 PM — quietOct 10, 6 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Oct 10, 8 PM — quietOct 10, 10 PM — quietOct 11, 12 AM — quietOct 11, 2 AM — quietOct 11, 4 AM — quietOct 11, 6 AM — quietOct 11, 8 AM — quietOct 11, 10 AM — quietOct 11, 12 PM — quietOct 11, 2 PM — quietOct 11, 4 PM — quietOct 11, 6 PM — quietOct 11, 8 PM — quietOct 11, 10 PM — quietOct 12, 12 AM — quietOct 12, 2 AM — quietOct 12, 4 AM — quietOct 12, 6 AM — quietOct 12, 8 AM — quietOct 12, 10 AM — 7 pieces · 6 articles · 1 post — Newswires 6, Mastodon 1Oct 12, 12 PM — quietOct 12, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Oct 12, 4 PM — quietOct 12, 6 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Mastodon 1Oct 12, 8 PM — 18 pieces · 10 articles · 8 posts — Google News 9, Mastodon 3, Bluesky 2, +3 moreOct 12, 10 PM — 3 pieces · 1 article · 2 posts — Bluesky 1, Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Yesterday, 12 AM — 4 pieces · 4 comments — Reddit 4Yesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — 3 pieces · 3 posts — Bluesky 2, Mastodon 1Yesterday, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — X 1Yesterday, 8 AM — 5 pieces · 2 articles · 3 posts — Mastodon 3, Newswires 2Yesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — 8 pieces · 5 articles · 3 posts — Newswires 5, Mastodon 2, Reddit 1Yesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Yesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Today, 12 AM — quiet 1234–567
Oct 8Oct 9Oct 10Oct 11Oct 12yesterdaynow · 2:46 AM ET
  1. 7

    Critics pounce on report, call him 'our crooked Ken'

    Coverage spread across outlets characterizing Paxton as a 'floundering' Trump-backed Senate pick, with headlines noting critics pouncing on the Dubai report as the latest blow to his campaign.

    1. 2 outlets first by PennLive, 12h ago · also CBS News · read ↗

    2. first by Independent UK, 12h ago

    1 more claim →
    • skykiss@sfba.social

      Ken Paxton partied in Dubai on New Year's Eve 2024 with two fugitives from U.S. justice and a woman who wasn't his wife. Paxton is the top law enforcement official in # Texas was partying with wanted criminals on the run. https:// newrepublic.com/post/216541/ke n-paxton-caught-partying-us-fugitives-dubai # midterms # elections # tx # usa # news

      skykiss@sfba.socialMastodon3h ago13▲view on Mastodon ↗
  2. 6

    Trump was warned of coming Paxton revelations, WSJ says

    The Journal reported that when Trump weighed endorsing Paxton over Cornyn in spring, he was told damaging revelations were likely to surface but was dismissive, predicting more would come regardless.

    “Trump was dismissive and said there would be more…”
    — WSJ
    • As President Trump weighed endorsing Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn of Texas this spring, he was told that damaging revelations were likely to surface about Paxton, according to people familiar with the conversations. Trump was dismissive and said there would be more

      @WSJX18h ago1.1k▲view on X ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 6 posts in this stretch
    • carlquintanilla.bsky.social

      “.. a previously unreported New Year’s Eve 2024 celebration where Paxton partied in Dubai with two fugitives from U.S. justice ..” @wsj.com #TXsen

      carlquintanilla.bsky.socialBluesky21h ago667▲view on Bluesky ↗
    • newsguyusa@flipboard.social

      WSJ - Damaging revelations about Ken Paxton continue to emerge, including previously unreported New Year’s Eve 2024 celebration where the Texas attorney general partied in Dubai with two fugitives from US justice and a woman who wasn’t his wife. https://www. wsj.com/politics/policy/ken-pa…

      newsguyusa@flipboard.socialMastodon17h ago53▲view on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  3. 5

    Video goes viral, donor payments to fugitives detailed

    Social posts amplified the footage, with users noting Ahmed had contributed $190,000 to Paxton's campaigns, including $25,000 given after his federal indictment.

    “Ahmed contributed $190,000 to Paxton campaigns (including a donation made after his fed indictment)…”
    — leftylady.bsky.social
    • THE WSJ HAS PUBLISHED A VIDEO OF REPUBLICAN TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE, STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN PAXTON, PARTYING IN DUBAI WITH TWO AMERICAN FUGITIVES INDICTED ON MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR EMBEZZLEMENT AND FRAUD.

      @electionsjoeX1d ago20k▲view on X ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 9 posts in this stretch
    • jswatz.bsky.social

      I honestly thought I couldn't be shocked by any news about Ken Paxton's corruption. I stand corrected by the @wsj.com

      jswatz.bsky.socialBluesky1d ago46▲view on Bluesky ↗
    • Haha tell me about it. If somehow Texas were to flip, there is almost no path to a Republican Presidency. We may actually have more than 8 years to get things back on track. That would enable not just fixing things, but also making real progress.

      forgedbygeeksr/politics1d agoview on r/politics ↗
    all of them →
  4. 4

    WSJ reveals Paxton's Dubai New Year's party with fugitives

    The Wall Street Journal published previously unreported footage of Paxton celebrating New Year's Eve 2024 in Dubai with his girlfriend Tracy Duhon and two U.S. fugitives, Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail, who had been indicted on federal healthcare fraud and embezzlement charges and had donated to his campaign.

    “More damaging revelations about Ken Paxton: A previously unreported New Year’s Eve 2024 celebration where Paxton partied in Dubai with two fugitives from U.S. justice and a woman who wasn’t his wife…”
    — WSJ
    1. first by Mediaite, 1d ago · also inkl, The Times of India, Yahoo, The Daily Beast, WSJ

      7 more headlines
    2. 3 outlets first by Forbes Business, 16h ago · also New Republic, Forbes · read ↗

    1 more claim →
    • wsj.com

      More damaging revelations about Ken Paxton: A previously unreported New Year’s Eve 2024 celebration where Paxton partied in Dubai with two fugitives from U.S. justice and a woman who wasn’t his wife on.

      wsj.comBluesky1d ago3.6k▲view on Bluesky ↗
    1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
    • tusk81@mastodon.social

      The Wall Street Journal breaks a New Year’s Eve 2024 celebration where pedophile protector Ken Paxton partied in Dubai with two fugitives from US justice and a woman who wasn’t his wife: https:// on.

      tusk81@mastodon.socialMastodon1d ago17▲view on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  5. 3 days quiet
  6. 3

    Paxton privately gripes that Cornyn wants him to lose

    Leaked audio reported by CNN showed Paxton complaining about a lack of support from outgoing Sen. John Cornyn after their bruising primary runoff, despite publicly saying he'd welcome Cornyn's backing.

    “He wants me to lose…”
    — Ken Paxton
    1. 6 outlets first by Mediaite, 4d ago · also Washington Examiner, CNN, KTVZ-TV, Newsweek, HuffPost · read ↗

    • moments2remember.link

      A recently disclosed deposition has intensified scrutiny on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, revealing significant gaps in his financial recollections concerning an investment scandal that led to his 2015 indictment for securities fraud....

      moments2remember.linkBluesky4d ago25▲view on Bluesky ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 4 posts in this stretch
    • gottalaff.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy

      More leaks: “Cornyn’s face went red. He backed off,” Paxton said. “He said, ‘Paxton’s gonna lose. We need to teach those Republicans a lesson. It’s going to be hard to learn, but they need to know that their decisions have consequences.’” “That’s what he’s trying to do. That’s John Cornyn.” ‘He wants me to lose’: Paxton ...

      gottalaff.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gyMastodon4d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    • these evil men, claiming to be a party of “christian values,” are so far from the teachings of jesus christ, one has to laugh to keep from crying.

      otherwise_datar/politics5d agoview on r/politics ↗
    all of them →
  7. 2

    Paxton floats cuts to federal benefits in leaked audio

    Another leaked recording had the GOP nominee calling for 'reasonable cuts to mandatory spending' driven by Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

    1. 3 outlets first by Yahoo, 6d ago · also Austin American-Statesman, New Republic · read ↗

    2. 2 outlets first by Yahoo News Singapore, 5d ago · also Texas Tribune · read ↗

    2 more claims →
    • tusk81@mastodon.social

      The elites want crumbs for you while they get to vacation overseas with their alleged mistresses. https://www. texastribune.org/2026/10/08/ke n-paxton-leaked-audio-federal-benefits-texas-senate-election-2026/

      tusk81@mastodon.socialMastodon5d ago1▲view on Mastodon ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
    • Are his friends like cartoon walking microphones? Oh wait he doesn't have friends lmao

      atdar/politics6d agoview on r/politics ↗
    • Trump has ‘no regrets’ endorsing Ken Paxton for Senate in Texas, even after a new audio leak https://www. cnn.com/2026/10/08/politics/vi deo/trump-paxton-no-regrets-leaked-audio?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Politics @ politics-thenewsdesk

      thenewsdesk@flipboard.comMastodon5d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  8. 1

    Paxton blames Iran war, gas prices for campaign struggles

    Leaked audio obtained by Axios captured Paxton telling donors and lobbyists at a closed-door fundraiser that the Iran war and diesel prices above $6 a gallon were hurting his Senate bid.

    “I don't make the decisions…”
    — Ken Paxton
    1. first by HuffPost, 6d ago · also Mediaite, New Republic, PennLive

      3 more headlines
    2. 3 outlets first by Axios, 6d ago · also Guardian, Baltimore Sun · read ↗

    2 more claims →

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. first by The Washington Sun, 6d ago · also New York Post, NY Post

    1 more headline
  2. first by Yahoo, 3d ago · also Politico

  3. first by The New York Times, 4d ago · also New York Times

  4. first by Independent UK, 5d ago · also The Independent

  5. first by Semafor, 5d ago · also Yahoo

and 7 smaller pieces

What people are saying 8 voices from 4 sites · best of 25 · verbatim