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Texans & Football Fans Rage At Ken Paxton Pocketing $275K From Texas Tech Chair In Alleged Pay To Play
AUSTIN, Texas, July 19 -- The Texas Democratic Party issued the following news release:
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Texans & Football Fans Rage At Ken Paxton Pocketing $275K From Texas Tech Chair In Alleged Pay To Play
NYT's The Athletic: "Texas Tech booster donated $274K one day before Texas AG Ken Paxton's Brendan Sorsby letter"
USA Today: "Cody Campbell donated to Ken Paxton. Soon after, the Texas AG threatened Big 12"
Heartland College Sports: "Texas Tech Booster's Donation to Ken Paxton Under Spotlight Amid Brendan Sorsby Controversy"
NY Post: "Texas Tech booster donated to Ken Paxton's Senate campaign before
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AUSTIN, Texas, July 19 -- The Texas Democratic Party issued the following news release:
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Texans & Football Fans Rage At Ken Paxton Pocketing $275K From Texas Tech Chair In Alleged Pay To Play
NYT's The Athletic: "Texas Tech booster donated $274K one day before Texas AG Ken Paxton's Brendan Sorsby letter"
USA Today: "Cody Campbell donated to Ken Paxton. Soon after, the Texas AG threatened Big 12"
Heartland College Sports: "Texas Tech Booster's Donation to Ken Paxton Under Spotlight Amid Brendan Sorsby Controversy"
NY Post: "Texas Tech booster donated to Ken Paxton's Senate campaign beforeAG's $200M Brendan Sorsby warning to Big 12"
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Texans and college football fans erupted yesterday after news broke in the Texas Tribune that corrupt Ken Paxton pocketed $275K from Texas Tech Chair Cody Campbell, then the very next day threatened controversial legal action against the Big 12 if they sanctioned Tech over their QB who had been illegally betting on his games.
From ESPN radio to college football podcasts, Paxton was ripped with commentators saying how this made Texas Tech look bad and fans angry saying it undermined the spirit of the game. The Athletic quoted a sports attorney describing Paxton's actions as "a misstep of epic proportions" and even Barstool weighed in asking if the suspiciously-timed action was a bribe, of which Paxton has a long history of being accused of taking.
Read for yourself:
NY Post: Texas Tech booster donated to Ken Paxton's Senate campaign before AG's $200M Brendan Sorsby warning to Big 12
July 16, 2026
By Justin Tasch
* A day before Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton warned the Big 12 in a letter that sanctioning Texas Tech for having quarterback Brendan Sorsby on their football team could expose the conference to at least $200 million in damages and fees, the school's top booster donated to Paxton's Senate campaign.
* Cody Campbell, a former standout Red Raiders offensive lineman who had a brief NFL career before becoming an oil tycoon and is the current Texas Tech Board of Regents chairman, donated $274,300 to the fundraising committee Paxton Victory on June 10, according to FEC records, as first noted by the Texas Tribune.
* Paxton's letter was sent on June 11.
* The NCAA ruled Sorsby ineligible in May after he admitted to placing thousand of online bets, violating NCAA rules. At least 40 of his wagers involved Indiana football while he was a member of the team, though he did not play in the games he wagered on.
* Sorsby, 22, sued and was granted a temporary injunction by a Texas judge on June 8 that restored his eligibility, which included a two-game suspension.
* The Big 12 then filed a federal lawsuit against Paxton, Texas Tech and school officials on June 14 seeking "a declaratory judgment that the First Amendment protects the Conference's right to invoke its authority under its Bylaws to sanction" the school.
* Sorsby then withdrew his lawsuit and declared for the NFL supplemental draft. However, the league chose not to hold a supplemental draft, and he now must wait to enter the 2027 NFL Draft.
* Campbell declined comment to the Texas Tribune, which said Paxton's campaign and Texas Tech didn't responds to requests for comment.
* Paxton, the Republican nominee for the Texas U.S. Senate seat, will face Democratic nominee James Talarico in a November election.
The Athletic: Texas Tech booster donated $274K one day before Texas AG Ken Paxton's Brendan Sorsby letter
July 16, 2026
By Justin Williams
* One day before the office of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton released a letter threatening legal action against the Big 12 conference if it moved to sanction Texas Tech over quarterback Brendan Sorsby's eligibility saga, Texas Tech board of regents chair and billionaire booster Cody Campbell donated $274,300 in support of Paxton's U.S. Senate campaign.
* According to a recent batch of campaign finance records filed to the Federal Election Committee, Campbell made the donation on June 10 to Paxton Victory, a joint fundraising committee for Paxton's ongoing run for Senate as the Texas Republican nominee. On June 11, Paxton's attorney general office sent a formal letter to the Big 12 Conference on behalf of Texas Tech University stating any penalties imposed by the Big 12 regarding Sorsby would be considered "unlawful" and met with legal action.
* Campbell declined to comment on the matter. The Texas attorney general office and Paxton's Senate campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Texas Tech did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
* Campbell made prior donations to Paxton's Senate campaign dating back to 2025 and to Paxton in his capacity as attorney general. The June 10 donation to Paxton's Senate campaign represents Campbell's largest one-time amount given toward a state-level politician dating back to 2016, according to campaign finance databases.
* The June 11 letter from Paxton's state office came days after Sorsby was granted a temporary injunction by a Texas state court that briefly reinstated his athletic eligibility for the 2026 college football season. The injunction overruled the NCAA, which deemed Sorsby permanently ineligible this spring for committing thousands of gambling violations during his college career, including betting on his own team as a member of Indiana in 2022.
* The court's decision was met with immediate and intense backlash across college sports, with much of the ire directed at Texas Tech. Many urged the Big 12, of which Texas Tech is a member, to levy its own sanctions against Sorsby and/or Tech if it elected to play the quarterback this upcoming season.
* Texas Tech was not involved in Sorsby's lawsuit against the NCAA that was granted a temporary injunction, but Tech officials, including Campbell, were publicly supportive of Sorsby's eligibility battle.
* On June 15, the Big 12 filed a federal lawsuit against Paxton, Texas Tech, and university administrators, seeking a declaratory judgment that the conference could sanction Texas Tech under its league bylaws, and that those bylaws were protected by the First Amendment -- a direct response to Paxton's letter.
* Later that same day, it was announced that Sorsby was leaving the Red Raiders to focus on the NFL.
* The timing and nature of the Big 12's lawsuit against Paxton and Texas Tech contributed to the end of Sorsby's college football career, according to previous reporting by The Athletic. Numerous legal experts argued that Paxton's letter bolstered the Big 12's argument on First Amendment grounds, allowing the league to file in federal jurisdiction as opposed to another Texas state court.
* "(The Paxton letter) was a misstep of epic proportions to say the least because without that letter, there's no (Big 12) lawsuit," sports attorney Tom Mars told The Athletic.
* The Big 12's lawsuit remains active and ongoing. Paxton was elected as Texas attorney general in 2014 and is running against Democratic nominee James Talarico for the Senate seat. A Democrat has not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994, but recent polling suggests a tight race between Paxton and Talarico ahead of a Nov. 3 vote.
USA Today: Cody Campbell donated to Ken Paxton. Soon after, the Texas AG threatened Big 12
July 16, 2026
By Zac Al-Khateeb
* One day before he threatened legal action against the Big 12 Conference over potential sanctions against Texas Tech, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was recorded to have received a notable political donation from Cody Campbell.
* According to a report from The Texas Tribune, Campbell -- the chairman of the Texas Tech University Board of Regents who contributed $25 million to Texas Tech's 2025 football roster -- was recorded providing $274,300 donation on June 10 to one of Paxton's fundraising committees for his U.S. Senate bid, according to campaign finance records.
* One day later, Paxton issued a public statement threatening to sue the Big 12 if the conference sanctioned Texas Tech for playing quarterback Brendan Sorsby after a Lubbock County judge granted an injunction allowing the Cincinnati transfer to play, despite violating NCAA gambling rules.
* The ruling, which came with a two-game suspension, caused a firestorm in college athletics: Sorsby was found to have violated NCAA rules prohibiting gambling, and admitted to making thousands of wagers, some of which involved his prior team, Indiana, while he was on the Hoosiers' roster.
* "The Conference would face exposure to treble damages," Texas state attorneys wrote, "including for Texas Tech's lost football revenues, damages to its alumni contributions and damages to its recruitment, plus attorneys' fees. The total exposure -- for both the Big 12 and its members, joint and severally -- will be substantially more than $200 million."
* Per The Texas Tribune, Campbell's donation to Paxton was among the largest he had made in recent years after previously making political donations for the GOP candidate. He reportedly donated $30,000 to Paxton's state-level campaigns "from 2016 onward," including donations to both Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt in this year's Republican U.S. Senate primary.
* After Paxton's threat, The Big 12 quickly filed a complaint in federal court, seeking a declaratory judgment that would allow the conference to enforce its own bylaws. Attorneys general from Kansas and Utah joined with Oklahoma in support of the Big 12.
* Eventually, Sorsby decided to withdraw from Texas Tech, nullifying the injunction, as he prepared to enter the NFL supplemental draft. Campbell, issuing a statement on Sorsby's withdrawal, maintained Texas Tech was helping Sorsby as he underwent gambling addiction therapy, which was the result of a broken system in need of serious overhaul.
Houston Chronicle: Texas Tech donors gave big to Ken Paxton as he defended ex-QB Brendan Sorsby
July 16, 2026
By Casey Murray
* Attorney General Ken Paxton received more than $650,000 dollars in campaign contributions from donors tied to Texas Tech the same month he used his office to defend the school's star quarterback Brendan Sorsby amid a betting scandal, according to new campaign finance records.
* Quarterback Brendan Sorsby was barred from playing in the NCAA earlier this year after being accused of placing at least $90,000 in impermissible bets, including on his own team. The saga has ignited college sports and produced at least four major lawsuits over the NCAA's decision.
* On June 11, Paxton sent a letter to the Big 12 Conference threatening to pursue up to $200 million in legal damages if it followed through with sanctions on Texas Tech for playing Sorsby.
* One day earlier, Texas Tech Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell donated $274,300 to a fundraising committee supporting Paxton in his U.S. Senate bid.
* On June 12, a Texas Tech alumnus named Larry Franklin gave Paxton's committee $108,600. And later that month, on June 26, Campbell's business partner, John Sellers, made a donation of $274,300. Sellers and Campbell played football together at Tech, according to a profile of their company.
* The donations, which totalled $657,200, were among the largest in Paxton's latest fundraising haul, according to campaign finance report data published Wednesday.
* Neither Texas Tech, Campbell, nor Sellers immediately responded to a request for comment. Franklin could not immediately be reached for comment. Paxton did not respond to a request for comment on whether the donations and the letter were connected.
* Campbell has supported Paxton in the past, but with much smaller donations, totaling about $30,000.
* Sellers had never donated to Paxton before.
* All three men are donors to the university. The football team's field was named in honor of Campbell, following a $25 million gift. Sellers gave $1 million to start a scholarship fund at the economics department. Franklin started a journalism scholarship at the school.
* Paxton was investigated in 2020 based on allegations that he took bribes to benefit a political donor.
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Original text here: https://www.texasdemocrats.org/media/texans-football-fans-rage-at-ken-paxton-pocketing-275k-from-texas-tech-chair-in-alleged-pay-to-play
AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Abdul El-Sayed Tout Their Socialist Agenda in Michigan
WASHINGTON, July 19 -- The National Republican Senatorial Committee issued the following news release:
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AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Abdul El-Sayed Tout Their Socialist Agenda in Michigan
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, and Abdul El-Sayed teamed up in Detroit to tout their socialist agenda of defunding the police, implementing the Green New Deal, and Medicare for All.
"Abdul El-Sayed and his socialist cronies AOC and Bernie Sanders are pushing their radical Green New Deal, defund the police, and Medicare for All agenda on Michiganders. This may get him through his messy primary,
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WASHINGTON, July 19 -- The National Republican Senatorial Committee issued the following news release:
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AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Abdul El-Sayed Tout Their Socialist Agenda in Michigan
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, and Abdul El-Sayed teamed up in Detroit to tout their socialist agenda of defunding the police, implementing the Green New Deal, and Medicare for All.
"Abdul El-Sayed and his socialist cronies AOC and Bernie Sanders are pushing their radical Green New Deal, defund the police, and Medicare for All agenda on Michiganders. This may get him through his messy primary,but it will be defeated by Mike Rogers in November," said NRSC Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell.
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Original text here: https://www.nrsc.org/press-releases/aoc-bernie-sanders-and-abdul-el-sayed-tout-their-socialist-agenda-in-michigan-2026-07-18/
Mich. Democratic Party: Reminder - Mike Rogers Is An Election Denier and Threatened to Intimidate Detroit Voters
LANSING, Michigan, July 18 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on July 16, 2026:
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REMINDER: Mike Rogers Is An Election Denier and Threatened to Intimidate Detroit Voters
Ahead of President Trump's speech tonight where he is expected to push more lies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, a reminder that failed GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers has repeatedly spread an "evidence-free claim that the 2024 election was also stolen" from him--which Trump has embraced--and has called on off-duty cops to intimidate Detroit voters this November:
* Rogers
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LANSING, Michigan, July 18 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on July 16, 2026:
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REMINDER: Mike Rogers Is An Election Denier and Threatened to Intimidate Detroit Voters
Ahead of President Trump's speech tonight where he is expected to push more lies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, a reminder that failed GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers has repeatedly spread an "evidence-free claim that the 2024 election was also stolen" from him--which Trump has embraced--and has called on off-duty cops to intimidate Detroit voters this November:
* Rogersfalsely claimed that "a single van carrying ballots in Detroit 'swung' his 2024 race," a baseless lie that Michigan's former elections director said "might be more ridiculous than similar claims made after the 2020 presidential election."
* Trump came to Detroit earlier this year and falsely claimed, without evidence, that the 2024 election was "rigged" against Rogers. Later that day, Rogers amplified and fundraised off Trump's stolen election claims.
* Rogers said he wants off-duty and retired police officers to monitor and flash their badges at Detroit voters during this November's election, "a move that would revive a strategy historically used to scare or intimidate voters of color." Rogers said these tactics were necessary so he doesn't "wake up at 4 a.m. a loser" again like he did in 2024.
* Rogers' campaign recently doubled down on their stolen election claims, saying there are still "lingering questions and concerns about the last election."
* Rogers has "surround[ed] himself with election deniers" and appointed senior leaders to his campaign who have "repeatedly questioned the results of the 2020 election."
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Read more: Detroit News (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/09/mike-rogers-michigan-senate-2024-loss-elissa-slotkin-van-in-detroit-ballots-trump-election-fraud/87149342007/): Mike Rogers ties 2024 Senate loss to a 'van in Detroit with ballots'; Detroit News (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2026/05/02/detroit-voter-intimidation-2028-presidential-poll-trump-vance-rubio-whitmer-buttigieg-newsom-harris/89887163007/): Mike Rogers wants cops to monitor Detroit election workers; Democracy Docket (https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/gop-senate-candidate-recruiting-off-duty-detroit-cops-to-intimidate-voters/): GOP Senate candidate recruiting off-duty Detroit cops to intimidate voters; Gongwer (https://pro.stateaffairs.com/mi/politics/rogers-doubles-down-on-2024-election-questions-after-poll-watcher-comments): Rogers doubles down on 2024 election 'questions' after poll watcher comments; Michigan Advance (https://michiganadvance.com/2025/11/21/mike-rogers-once-denounced-election-denial-of-the-2020-election-now-hes-surrounded-by-it/): Mike Rogers once denounced election denial of the 2020 election. Now, he's surrounded by it
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Original text here: https://michigandems.com/reminder-mike-rogers-is-an-election-denier-and-threatened-to-intimidate-detroit-voters/
Mich. Democratic Party: John James' Family Bought SpaceX Stock As He Oversees Elon Musk's Company
LANSING, Michigan, July 18 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on July 17, 2026:
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John James' Family Bought SpaceX Stock As He Oversees Elon Musk's Company
New reporting today from NOTUS and The Detroit Metro Times uncovers that two-time statewide loser John James and his wife recently bought stock in SpaceX on the day the company went public--raising conflict-of-interest questions as James oversees policy questions that impact SpaceX from his position on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
It's the first stock trade that James has disclosed since 2024,
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LANSING, Michigan, July 18 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on July 17, 2026:
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John James' Family Bought SpaceX Stock As He Oversees Elon Musk's Company
New reporting today from NOTUS and The Detroit Metro Times uncovers that two-time statewide loser John James and his wife recently bought stock in SpaceX on the day the company went public--raising conflict-of-interest questions as James oversees policy questions that impact SpaceX from his position on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
It's the first stock trade that James has disclosed since 2024,when he violated the STOCK Act by failing to disclose more than 145 trades.
"Members of Congress should not own or trade individual stocks in industries that they oversee," David Sherman, president and CEO of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, told NOTUS. "It is an obvious conflict of interest that any regular person can understand. Public service is a choice. Not just for members, but for their immediate families."
The Metro Times noted that "the Energy and Commerce Committee routinely conducts oversight of the FCC and considers legislation affecting telecommunications, artificial intelligence, energy, and other industries in which Musk has substantial financial interests, giving James the opportunity to impact stock prices."
Read more below on James' self-enrichment as he buys stocks in SpaceX.
Detroit Metro Times (https://www.metrotimes.com/news/john-james-family-bought-spacex-stock-as-he-oversees-elon-musks-company/): John James' family bought SpaceX stock as he oversees Elon Musk's company
* U.S. Rep. John James and his wife invested as much as $50,000 in Elon Musk's SpaceX on the day the company went public, giving the Republican candidate for Michigan governor a financial stake in a business affected by decisions made by the congressional committee on which he serves.
* James disclosed the purchase of between $15,001 and $50,000 in SpaceX stock on June 12. It was the first stock transaction James has reported since a controversy over 145 trades that he failed to disclose on time in 2024.
* The purchase raises conflict-of-interest concerns because James serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC regulates SpaceX's rapidly expanding Starlink satellite internet network and in January authorized the company to deploy an additional 7,500 satellites.
NOTUS (https://www.notus.org/money/congress-spacex-stock-trading): SpaceX Is House Members' Hot New Stock Pick
* James, who sits in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which is deeply influential on AI policy, reported that his wife purchased up to $50,000 in SpaceX stock on June 12, the same day the stock went public.
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Original text here: https://michigandems.com/new-john-james-family-bought-spacex-stock-as-he-oversees-elon-musks-company/
Mich. Democratic Party: John James Once Again Begging for DeVos Cash at Swanky Fundraiser
LANSING, Michigan, July 18 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on July 17, 2026:
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John James Once Again Begging for DeVos Cash at Swanky Fundraiser
As two-time statewide loser John James is facing backlash from grassroots primary voters across the state, he is once again set to beg for money from the DeVos family and their billionaire friends at a swanky fundraiser at the DeVos Residence in northern Michigan this evening. It's the second fundraiser the DeVos family have hosted for James this year.
Pamella and Dan DeVos are the main backers of the pro-James
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LANSING, Michigan, July 18 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on July 17, 2026:
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John James Once Again Begging for DeVos Cash at Swanky Fundraiser
As two-time statewide loser John James is facing backlash from grassroots primary voters across the state, he is once again set to beg for money from the DeVos family and their billionaire friends at a swanky fundraiser at the DeVos Residence in northern Michigan this evening. It's the second fundraiser the DeVos family have hosted for James this year.
Pamella and Dan DeVos are the main backers of the pro-Jamesgroup Mission Michigan, which has spent millions of dollars trying to prop up James in the MAGA primary for governor.
As he dines with the DeVoses, James voted to cut Medicaid last year in order to give tax giveaways to billionaires. James has also long supported the DeVos family's extreme anti-public school agenda that will hurt students and defund public schools.
The DeVos family has poured cash into James' failing campaigns over the years--including his two failed statewide races. In 2018, James sought to downplay his ties to Betsy DeVos, but then hired a family member after he received a $1 million campaign infusion.
"John James voted to give the DeVos family a massive tax cut while gutting Medicaid for working families and he's long supported the radical DeVos push to gut public schools," said Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Derrick Honeyman. "James is only out for himself, his billionaire donors, and Donald Trump."
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Original text here: https://michigandems.com/john-james-once-again-begging-for-devos-cash-at-swanky-fundraiser/
Mich. Democratic Party: Cyclosporiasis Cases Rising Because of John James and Republican Cuts to CDC
LANSING, Michigan, July 18 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on July 16, 2026:
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Cyclosporiasis Cases Rising Because of John James and Republican Cuts to CDC
Michigan is currently in the midst of the largest outbreak in the nation of a diarrhea-causing parasite, with more than 3,700 cases now reported across the state. The unprecedented outbreak of cyclosporiasis comes after John James, Donald Trump, and D.C. Republicans have gutted the CDC, including loosening federal monitoring of foodborne illnesses.
Michigan typically reports around 50 cyclosporiasis
... Show Full Article
LANSING, Michigan, July 18 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following news release on July 16, 2026:
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Cyclosporiasis Cases Rising Because of John James and Republican Cuts to CDC
Michigan is currently in the midst of the largest outbreak in the nation of a diarrhea-causing parasite, with more than 3,700 cases now reported across the state. The unprecedented outbreak of cyclosporiasis comes after John James, Donald Trump, and D.C. Republicans have gutted the CDC, including loosening federal monitoring of foodborne illnesses.
Michigan typically reports around 50 cyclosporiasiscases annually, but this year's record-breaking outbreak has inflicted "weeks of misery upon people who go untreated."
The CDC previously scaled back its monitoring of cyclosporiasis on July 1, 2025, with the CDC's Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, or FoodNet, "to only include tracking for salmonella and E. coli. Tracking for other foodborne illnesses became optional." On Monday, former CDC Director Robert Redfield said on CDC that scaling back tracking of foodborne illnesses was not in the country's best interest.
While in D.C., James has voted in lockstep behind Trump's disastrous policies--and he's now touting Trump's endorsement as he runs for governor.
"This outbreak lands squarely at the feet of D.C. Republicans like John James, who sided with Donald Trump as he wreaked havoc on the CDC and made our food less safe," said Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Derrick Honeyman. "Because of James and Trump, Michigan families have less money in their pockets and are now having to skip the produce and vegetable section at the grocery store to avoid this diarrhea-causing parasite."
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Original text here: https://michigandems.com/cyclosporiasis-cases-rising-because-of-john-james-and-republican-cuts-to-cdc/
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: Sununu's False Answer About Qatar Fuels Epstein-Files Fight [Washington Post]
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release on July 16, 2026:
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Sununu's False Answer About Qatar Fuels Epstein-Files Fight [Washington Post]
John E. Sununu's "connections" to disgraced child sex predator Jefferey Epstein are back in the spotlight today as new bombshell reporting from The Washington Post exposed a "false answer" from the floundering Senate candidate, who Epstein said "has good stories" in a May 2010 email to associate Boris Nikolic.
Sununu's campaign is now being forced to walk back his past on-camera claims that
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release on July 16, 2026:
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Sununu's False Answer About Qatar Fuels Epstein-Files Fight [Washington Post]
John E. Sununu's "connections" to disgraced child sex predator Jefferey Epstein are back in the spotlight today as new bombshell reporting from The Washington Post exposed a "false answer" from the floundering Senate candidate, who Epstein said "has good stories" in a May 2010 email to associate Boris Nikolic.
Sununu's campaign is now being forced to walk back his past on-camera claims thathe had never been to Doha, Qatar, as the Post uncovered new images that place him at the very event "referenced in emails between Epstein and Nikolic."
See for yourself:
Washington Post: Sununu's false answer about Qatar fuels Epstein-files fight
* Back in March -- as questions in New Hampshire circulated about whether the Republican Senate candidate John Sununu had any connections to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Boris Nikolic -- Sununu was asked a question.
* "Have you ever been to Doha, Qatar?" asked a person, camera in hand.
* "No," Sununu said, shaking his head.
* His campaign now tells us that answer was not true.
* Sununu traveled to Doha in 2001 and participated in a public World Economic Forum event there in 2010 -- the same event referenced in emails between Epstein and Nikolic.
* Those emails included one ambiguous mention of "John Sununu," [...]
* The emails were among correspondence released by the Justice Department earlier this year. In May 2010, Nikolic sent Epstein a list of attendees for a World Economic Forum event in Qatar. The 2010 WEF Global Redesign Summit in Doha was scheduled to begin days later. Nikolic asked Epstein for advice on whom he should meet a day before the event, and the late sex offender wrote, "John Sununu, has good stories," [...]
* The exchange spurred a controversy in New Hampshire as Sununu, the son of former New Hampshire governor John H. Sununu, mounted a Senate campaign to replace retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D). [...]
* But that conversation is why Sununu was approached with the question in March.
* A photo of Sununu was also featured in a report that the World Economic Forum produced after the event. You can see his photo on Page 10.
* So why does this matter?
* Scott Brown, a former Massachusetts senator who has relocated to New Hampshire and is now running against Sununu in the September primary, has attempted to make the Epstein email an issue, arguing the emails "have raised serious questions" and using it to cast Sununu as an "insider" who connected "to a D.C. machine or elite social circles."
* "Voters shouldn't have to guess who, or which one of their representatives were associated, or what "stories" are being referenced in federal documents," Brown wrote on X in February.
* [...] It could, however, become an issue in the general election, where Sununu is expected to face Rep. Chris Pappas, the leading Democrat for his party's Senate nomination.
* And all of this underscores the deep political toxicity of even the most scant connection to Epstein.
* President Donald Trump has been dogged by his well-documented ties to the disgraced financier, and the issue has proved to be one of the few areas where the president's often loyal base has been willing to break with him.
* The Epstein issue was also front and center Wednesday when acting attorney general Todd Blanche testified before the Senate as he vies to become Trump's permanent pick for the job. Blanche acknowledged in his testimony that "mistakes were made" in how the administration handled the so-called Epstein files, but that he wanted to "make sure that the American people know that this administration, when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein, has been more transparent than any administration."
* Asked about this reporting on Wednesday, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley said Sununu had been "caught in his egregious lie" and needed to explain "the extent of John Sununu's involvement with Jeffrey Epstein."
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Original text here: https://www.dscc.org/article/new-sununus-false-answer-about-qatar-fuels-epstein-files-fight-washington-post/
