Home of Texas Democrat political staffer raided in voter fraud investigation

Texas Democratic staffer Manuel Medina had his home raided on Wednesday as part of a state election fraud investigation headed by Attorney General Ken Paxton. During the early morning raid, law enforcement and agents with the Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found a trove of phones and digital devices.

"During the early morning hours of August 20, 2024 law enforcement officers and agents of the Texas Attorney General, forcibly entered the Medina family residents, awakening the occupants," a court document stated. It noted that a search warrant had been issued the day prior.

The search took place over a period of seven hours, with authorities seizing "numerous papers, documents, family and other photographs, as well as 65 cell phones and some 41 computers, digital and other storage devices."

 Medina is chief of staff for state Rep. Liz Campos (D-San Antonio) and a “well-known Bexar County political operative," The Texan reported. Medina also managed Cecilia Castellano's recent Democrat primary campaign for House District 80. Castellano told the Houston Chronicle that agents also came to her home on Tuesday morning to execute a search warrant and confiscated her cell phones.

“Secure elections are the cornerstone of our republic. We were glad to assist when the District Attorney referred this case to my office for investigation,” Paxton said in a news release. “We are completely committed to protecting the security of the ballot box and the integrity of every legal vote. This means ensuring accountability for anyone committing election crimes.”

The execution of the search warrants stemmed from a 2022 referral by 81st District Attorney Audrey Louis, and the case has been investigated since under the OAG’s Election Integrity Unit.

Paxton said on Wednesday that he is concerned about the possibility of noncitizens being able to vote in Texas or federal elections.

No charges have been filed against Medina but he is being investigated for his alleged involvement in a ballot harvesting scheme. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is appealing to the US Department of Justice to investigate these warrants by the Texas OAG, suggesting the raids are just trying to intimidate Democratic operatives.

Gabriel Rosales, Texas LULAC’s state director, said in a statement that the Paxton raids are designed “to suppress the Latino vote through intimidation and any means necessary to tilt the electoral process in favor of his political allies.”