Collin Democratic Chair Demands Answers After Republican Fund Named in Texas Transgender Texts

Collin Democratic Chair Jeremy Sutka demands answers after a Republican fund was named in Texas transgender texts. The fund denies involvement.

By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews

COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — Democratic Party Chair Jeremy Sutka is calling for answers before the election after information disclosed in an Infobip deposition connected the Republican Women’s Caucus Fund and a person named John Braun to transgender-related texts sent to Texans, according to The Texas Tribune. The fund denies involvement.

Fund disputes involvement

“We did not authorize, fund, direct, coordinate, or participate in these activities in any capacity,” a fund spokesperson told the Tribune. The organization denied involvement in both the texts and mailers and said it was pursuing legal remedies.

The identification follows a Travis County judge’s order making Infobip’s deposition non-confidential, according to the Tribune. The Transgender Education Network of Texas, known as TENT, shared the document with the newspaper after seeking disclosure of the messaging company’s client.

The Republican Women’s Caucus Fund describes itself as a PAC founded by Florida Rep. Kat Cammack to support Republican women lawmakers.

Infobip cites confidentiality

Responding to questions from TX3DNews, Infobip said it had provided the information requested by the court but could not publicly identify its direct customer.

In a follow-up clarification, the company said the customer’s identity remains confidential. The court removed confidentiality protections from certain information associated with the telephone numbers used in the campaigns, Infobip said.

The company did not confirm or deny the reported identification of RWC and Braun.

Infobip described its role as transmitting messages supplied by customers to telecommunications operators.

“Infobip, acting solely as a provider of transmission services, did not author or originate the content of the messages in question,” the company said.

It said it suspended the traffic after becoming aware of the issue, was monitoring for further occurrences and was cooperating with TENT’s lawyer.

Infobip also stated that it has “no business relationship with Texas Transgender Student Union LLC,” the Wyoming entity associated with the printed mailers.

The information disclosed about the texts does not establish who commissioned the brochures sent to Texas households.

Sutka calls on Republicans to respond

Collin County Democratic Party Chairman Jeremy Sutka described the texts as a political operation in his response to questions for this article.

“These texts were not the work of a grassroots group,” Sutka said. “They were a coordinated political operation, and now we know whose hands were on it.”

Sutka acknowledged that the county party had conducted no independent investigation and was relying on TENT’s court documentation and published reporting. He said party workers were focused on contacting voters and greeting them at polling locations.

He called on local Republicans to condemn deceptive political messaging.

“Local Republican leaders should come out and say plainly that there’s no place for this kind of deception in politics,” Sutka said.

TENT has reported threats following the messages, which linked to its resources without authorization. Sutka distinguished those reports from what the county party knew locally.

“We have no local knowledge of any Collin County residents or organizations receiving threats, and I’m grateful for that,” he said.

Earlier demands for an investigation

Collin County Republican Party Chairman Byron Henry previously condemned the mailers’ contents in written responses to TX3DNews, associating them with positions promoted by Democrats.

Henry said he had no knowledge of their source and did not believe the county party did either. He emphasized whether the information was accurate and whether candidates supported its contents, while expressing support for an investigation into potential criminal wrongdoing.

State Rep. Jeff Leach separately asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate regardless of political affiliation, including how recipients’ personal information was obtained.

Those statements, reported in earlier coverage, preceded the public identification of RWC and its denial.

Braun’s identity remains unclear. Washington state Sen. John Braun’s campaign denied his involvement, according to the Texas Observer.

What happens next

Further answers now depend in part on the court fight over TENT’s effort to question those behind the mailers. The Texas Supreme Court issued an administrative stay Friday, Oct. 30, in In re Texas Transgender Student Union LLC. The company’s challenge to the lower-court proceedings and its request for temporary relief remain pending, according to the court’s orders page.

The names disclosed so far have not answered who authorized the messages, who paid for them or whether the same people arranged the printed mailers. With voting underway, Sutka said those answers should not wait until after the election.

“The investigation should move quickly and publicly,” he said. “The people responsible shouldn’t be allowed to run out the clock until after the election.”

Editor’s note: TX3DNews has asked the Collin County GOP and Rep. Jeff Leach for comment and will add their responses when received.