Court Filing Names GOP Fund in Texas Text Campaign

A messaging company named a national Republican group and a person identified as John Braun as clients behind a text campaign about transgender youth in Texas, according to a deposition made public by a Travis County judge on October 29. The Republican Women’s Caucus Fund was founded and is chaired by U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida. Braun’s identity beyond his name was not provided in the deposition.

The texts, which began arriving on October 12, linked to resources on the Transgender Education Network of Texas website, including material about school bathrooms and gender-affirming care. TENT says it had no role in sending them and faced threats and backlash after the messages appeared to come from the organization.

The fund denied involvement in a statement, saying it had not authorized, paid for, directed or coordinated the campaign. It said it was wrongly named and would pursue legal remedies. The deposition followed TENT’s court petition seeking to identify those behind the texts and mailers, which the group said risked damaging its reputation and agitating voters ahead of early voting.

Separate mailers sent to Texas homes days later were attributed to the Texas Transgender Student Union, a group registered in Wyoming in September. They referenced TENT, but Infobip said it knew of no business relationship with the Wyoming organization. It remains unclear whether the fund or Braun had any role in the mailers.

West Texas District Attorney Sarah Stogner has opened a criminal investigation into the mailers over potential forgery. State Rep. Jeff Leach also asked Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office to investigate who was responsible.

GOP Fund Named in Texas Campaign Targeting Trans Youth

A Republican political fund has been named in a Texas text campaign that invoked resources for transgender young people while appearing to come from an LGBTQ+ advocacy group that says it had nothing to do with the messages. A deposition made public on October 29 identified the Republican Women’s Caucus Fund and John Braun as Infobip clients behind the texts.

The messages linked to TENT’s website and referred to guides on school bathrooms and gender-affirming care. TENT says the texts and later mailers were designed to agitate voters and damage its reputation before early voting. The group says it received threats after the texts circulated and has had to devote resources to security and legal action.

The fund, founded and chaired by Rep. Kat Cammack, denied authorizing, funding, directing or coordinating the campaign. That denial does not resolve the central question raised by the court filing: why TENT’s name and materials appeared in communications it says it did not send. The deposition identified the clients behind the texts, but not the people responsible for creating the campaign.

The mailers, attributed to a Wyoming-registered group, also referenced TENT. Infobip said it knew of no business relationship with that group, and the fund’s role in the mailings remains unclear. A West Texas district attorney is investigating the mailers for potential forgery, while state Rep. Jeff Leach has asked the attorney general to investigate.

Texas Text Campaign Raises Questions as GOP Fund Denies Role

A deposition identifying the Republican Women’s Caucus Fund as a client behind Texas texts about transgender youth has triggered a sharp denial from the group, which says it was wrongly named. The fund says it did not authorize, pay for, direct, coordinate or take part in the campaign and will seek legal remedies.

The court-ordered disclosure, made public on October 29, also named John Braun as an Infobip client. The texts linked to resources on the Transgender Education Network of Texas website, including material about bathrooms at school and gender-affirming care. TENT says it was not involved and reported threats and backlash after the messages circulated.

The dispute comes as transgender issues are prominent in Texas’s closely contested Senate race. Republicans have criticized Democratic candidate James Talarico over past statements supporting transgender children and his vote against a state law restricting gender-affirming treatment for minors. The text campaign’s origins remain contested, and the fund’s denial challenges the implication that it directed the messages.

Separate mailers sent to homes across Texas referred to TENT and were attributed to the Texas Transgender Student Union, registered in Wyoming in September. Infobip said it knew of no business relationship with that group; whether the fund or Braun had any connection to the mailers is unclear. A district attorney has opened a criminal investigation into the mailings over potential forgery.