Karl Rove brushes off Trump’s attack as GOP infighting over Texas candidates
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Republican operative Karl Rove said he had little interest in President Trump's accusations that he and Sen. John Cornyn were sabotaging Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's Senate campaign.
Longtime Republican strategist Karl Rove waved off President Donald Trump’s latest attack on him and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) over the Senate race involving Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Trump had accused the two of undercutting Paxton’s campaign on his Truth Social account, claiming they were working against the GOP candidate.
Rove answered on Fox News’ "The Guy Benson Show," implying Trump was hunting for a convenient scapegoat after Paxton’s campaign stumbled, including a leaked audio clip in which Paxton blamed the president’s foreign policy for his sinking poll numbers. The New York Times reported that Paxton’s Democratic opponent, James Talarico, was ahead in recent polls.
"It sounds like he thinks Paxton is going to lose, and he’s looking for somebody to blame," Rove said.
"And if I’m weak and ineffective, how could I have done anything to diminish the power of the man who won 96% of Texas counties? I don’t know what the president’s talking about, and with all due respect, I really don’t care," he added.
The exchange lays bare the deepening factional tensions inside the Republican Party as the midterm election approaches.