Texts referring to material for LGBTQ+ youth, which drew strong criticism across Texas, were sent on behalf of the Republican Women Caucus Fund, according to a deposition from the messaging company Infobip. The deposition also names an individual, John Braun, as a sender. It provides no details about Braun beyond his name. A Travis County judge ordered the deposition made non-confidential. The Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) shared it with The Texas Tribune after asking the judge to require Infobip to identify its client.
A spokesperson for the Republican Women's Caucus Fund said the group had "absolutely no involvement" in sending the texts or similar mailers. The spokesperson said the group did not authorize, fund or take part in the activities and is pursuing legal remedies. Days after the texts, mailers from the Texas Transgender Student Union arrived across the state. They were addressed to "students" and also referred to TENT, which said it has no affiliation with the sender. Business records show the Wyoming group that sent the mailers was registered in early September. Infobip said it had no knowledge of a business relationship with that group. It is unclear whether the Caucus Fund or Braun were involved in the mailers.
State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, asked the Texas attorney general's office to investigate who sent the materials. West Texas District Attorney Sarah Stogner opened a criminal investigation into the mailers last week for potential forgery and said she was concerned they were meant to influence the election. TENT said the texts and mailers were designed to agitate voters and harm its reputation.