In a dramatic escalation of Texas‘ most bitter political feud, Senator John Cornyn’s re-election campaign has accused Attorney General Ken Paxton of using taxpayer dollars to bankroll secret trips with his mistress – and is demanding proof.
The Cornyn camp has fired off a Texas Public Information Act request to Paxton’s office, seeking records of his travel and activities with lover Tracy Duhon dating back to March 2024, the Daily Mail has learned.
‘Taxpayers deserve to know,’ if Paxton is using his office and taxpayer resources to conduct and conceal an affair, Cornyn campaign senior advisor Matt Mackowiak told Daily Mail Thursday.
The request was submitted Wednesday under the Texas Public Information Act to Paxton’s office, which is responsible for fielding public records requests.
It cites a Daily Mail article from September 12 that said Paxton has been ‘traveling across the country and even overseas’ to meet up with Duhon, a 57-year-old Christian influencer.
‘As this travel was ‘essential to keeping the entanglement secret’ from Paxton’s wife, it falls under the category of personal travel,’ the official application argues.
‘If Paxton has used official resources to pay for any of these trips, or if the getaways conflicted with responsibilities to the State of Texas, Texans deserve to know.’
Paxton has not responded to Daily mail’s request for comment by the time of publication.
Current Revolt, a Texas political website, said it received a tip in May that Paxton was seen at the Drover Hotel pool wearing a bathing suit while having ‘questionable interactions’ with a woman who wasn’t his wife.
Senator John Cornyn is leading the charge in his battle with Attorney General Ken Paxton, pushing for proof that he used taxpayer dollars to bankroll his trips with his mistress
With her then-husband Troy Duhon standing between them, Paxton’s mistress Tracy Duhon and AG Paxton posed for a photo at the Kentucky Derby in May 2024
Cornyn’s re-election campaign camp has filed an information request for the release of Paxton’s travel and activities with paramour Duhon, dating back to March 2024
He was known to use the name ‘Kyle’ during frequent visits to the hotel, the outlet reported.
That report came shortly after Daily Mail’s bombshell expose revealing how 62-year-old Paxton was carrying on an affair with Duhon, hidden from both their spouses.
In a follow-up Tuesday, the Mail revealed how the scandal has upended Duhon’s life – though she still lives in her ex-husband Troy’s lavish lakeside mansion on Lake Pontchartrain, just outside New Orleans, even after their recent divorce.
The pair has etched out a co-parenting agreement after she left the car dealership mogul last year, with it only being finalized last month.
Multiple sources confirmed Duhon, a mother of seven who is also an author, is the reason the politician’s marriage crumbled earlier this summer.
Texas State Senator Angela Paxton announced in July that after 38 years she wanted a divorce in a stinging tweet, citing ‘biblical grounds’.
It is not the first time Paxton has been rocked by scandal, having been caught cheating on Angela in 2023 with former state senate aide Laura Olsen.
He was impeached by the state house, accused of misusing his office and taking bribes while trying to get a job for his lover. He denied the allegations and was acquitted of in the state senate.
Duhon, 57, still resides at the stunning home on Lake Pontchartrain, near New Orleans, despite her recent divorce
Paxton’s wife, Texas State Senator Angela Paxton, appears to have hit her breaking point with her scandal-ridden husband as she announced their separation on X after nearly 40 years
Angela stood by him through that first scandal.
But the latest incident with Duhon was the last straw and could threaten Paxton’s latest bid to become a US senator.
The romance between Duhon and Paxton started after the pair met at the Kentucky Derby last year, multiple sources revealed to the Daily Mail.
They stayed under the same roof at the home of a mutual friend who hosted them for the event, an insider shared.
Since May 2024, the lovers have had multiple rendezvous on trips across the country and even overseas, according to insiders.
The getaways were essential to keeping the entanglement secret as both were married at the time, the sources said.
On social media, Duhon bragged about her 27-year marriage to the wealthy owner of 39 car dealerships.
A New Orleans native, Duhon keeps an active social media presence, discussing the power of prayer and advising others on how to navigate death and other difficult times of their lives.
On her website, Duhon shares she lost two babies who died the day they were born in separate pregnancies.
Laura Olson, Paxton’s former mistress left the Texas Capitol in September 2023 after sitting through testimony about their affair
Duhon, a Christian influencer and mother of seven, finalized her split from car dealership mogul Troy just last month, having reached a co-parenting agreement after walking out on the marriage last year
Her faith and grief counseling are the subject of her book, When Hope is All You Have.
‘Paxton is enamored with her face. He’s enamored with her story of overcoming adversity – she’s lost two children. He’s enamored with her faith,’ one source explained.
The source claims Paxton has a ‘sincere’ affection for her and believes she could be the second major relationship in his life.
Despite their best efforts to keep their relationship under wraps, Paxton’s wife learned her husband was cheating again earlier this year, another source said.
Even though the Paxtons had not lived together since the summer of 2024, learning about Duhon made the arrangement between Angela and Paxton untenable, sources explained.
The Duhon’s finalized their divorce last month, a source confirmed to the Daily Mail.
In an epic tweet, Angela Paxton announced the end of her 38-year marriage earlier this summer.
‘Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds,’ she announced to the world on X on July 10.
Texas State Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce in July citing ‘biblical grounds’
In an emotional post to X, Angela, 62, announced the end of their 38-year marriage
‘…in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.’
A public official in her own right, Angela represents the Dallas suburb of McKinney in the Texas Senate.
She accused Ken of ‘adultery’ in court filings according to KUT News, however their divorce records have now been sealed.
Ken Paxton, a staunch ally of Donald Trump, has hitched his wagon to the MAGA movement, becoming one of the fiercest defenders of the President.
Last year, he decided to try to unseat four-term Senator Cornyn, considered a more establishment Republican.
Now, both office holders are desperately trying to convince conservative voters they are the purest incarnation of the GOP.
Both Paxton and Cornyn are appealing to conservatives who rank Christianity and family values as top priorities.
Prior to news of the Paxton divorce, the MAGA Attorney General was ahead by as many as 16 points with conservative voters in the state.
Paxton, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, is in a battle to attempt to unseat Cornyn, who’s considered a more establishment Republican
The Daily Mail’s September 12 article that reveals details about Paxton’s affair has become a key weapon for Cornyn. He cited it in his information request, as he seeks to appeal to conservative voters who place a premium on Christianity and family values
Polling in the weeks after Angela announced the divorce shows Cornyn and Paxton in a dead heat.
Cornyn certainly believes the Duhon affair is a game changer, repeatedly attacking Paxton on the issue.
The sitting senator could not resist the opportunity to stick it to Paxton as news of a tech CEO who was caught cheating on his wife at a Coldplay concert went viral.
‘Good news for @kenpaxtontx,’ Cornyn posted to X, sharing a parody tweet joking the band would no longer be showing candid camera shots of their audience.
Cornyn also launched a new attack ad in July, calling out Paxton for his affair with Olson.
Olson became the focus when the attorney general was impeached by both Republicans and Democrats in the Texas House on allegations of corruption.
Lone Star members of the House alleged that Paxton used his position as the top law enforcer in the state to get bribes and donations.
One top donor, Nate Paul, was singled out as paying for access to the attorney general’s office.
Now-disgraced businessman Nate Paul played a pivotal role in Paxton’s 2023 impeachment case, after it emerged that he had allegedly employed Paxton’s former mistress, Olson, and funded costly renovations to the attorney general’s million-dollar Austin residence
Earlier this year, Paul pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of making false statements to a financial institution in exchange for other federal charges being dropped. He was fined $1million and sentenced to five years’ supervised release.
When Paxton’s affair with Olson became known, Paxton asked Paul to hire her at one of his Austin companies.
During the impeachment vote in the House, which was broadcast live on TV, Paxton allegedly texted members of the House to threaten them if they voted to impeach him.
‘I would like to point out that several members of this House, while on the floor of this House doing the state’s business, received telephone calls from General Paxton personally, threatening them with political consequences in our next election,’ Rep. Charlie Geren said during the proceedings.
Paxton was eventually acquitted after a trial in the state Senate and returned to his office. If he had been found guilty, he would have lost his job as attorney general.
Angela sat through his trial at the senate every day, listening to details of his affair with Olson, even on the days her husband did not show up. She recused herself from voting.
Olson was called to the State Capitol to testify, but never actually took the stand.
When asked about Duhon being his mistress, Paxton did not address the claim but attacked the Daily Mail and vowed to take on the ‘deranged radical Left’ with Trump.
