Two former federal agents who were involved in border security efforts recently revealed that a Republican congressional candidate in north Texas has been misusing their names. The candidate falsely claimed that these agents endorsed two candidates, which is completely untrue. The agents want to make it clear that they have not and will not endorse any candidates.
John O’Shea, a Republican candidate vying for the open seat in the 12th Congressional District in north Texas, recently reached out to his volunteers via email. In the email, he shared exciting news about the creation of a new PAC dedicated to border protection. The PAC will be led by Victor Avila and John Holman, both of whom have extensive experience in Homeland Security. Furthermore, the PAC has chosen to endorse John O’Shea and David Lowe. To support this initiative, the campaign is seeking volunteers for a photoshoot scheduled for Tuesday, April 30th.
The email was initially sent to Tarrant County GOP precinct chairs and was later forwarded to The Center Square.
In the upcoming runoff election, O’Shea is going head-to-head with state Rep. Craig Goldman, a Republican hailing from north Texas. Goldman emerged as the frontrunner in the March 5 primary, securing 45% of the votes in a crowded field. Notably, he has received endorsements from prominent Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, and outgoing Congresswoman Kay Granger, whose seat Goldman aims to occupy.
In a campaign email, O’Shea mentions David Lowe, a state House candidate who is running against incumbent state Rep. Stephanie Klick in the Republican primary runoff election for House District 91 in north Texas. Klick, a strong supporter of the pro-life movement, has cast votes in favor of property tax reform and border security. She has received endorsements from Governor Abbott, the National Border Patrol Council, various law enforcement agencies, and pro-life organizations, among others.
The email also mentions Tom Homan, who formerly served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It also refers to Victor Avila, a retired U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations special agent and former congressional candidate. However, it incorrectly states Homan’s name and title and includes inaccurate information about a political action committee.
Avila informed The Center Square that he has established a fresh organization called Border Patriot PAC. Additionally, he is actively engaged in Border 911, a 501C3 organization led by Homan. It is important to note that the PAC and the 501C3 are completely independent entities and have no connection with each other. Avila clarified that Homan has no involvement in his PAC, and both the PAC and the 501C3 are not affiliated with the campaigns of O’Shea or Lowe, as stated by Homan and Avila to The Center Square.
Avila stated that he has crossed paths with O’Shea and Lowe at political gatherings, but they have never discussed political endorsements. Both O’Shea and Lowe clarified that they did not endorse Avila’s congressional campaign. In an email sent on Friday evening, Avila requested O’Shea’s campaign to stop and retract their email about the endorsement by Victor Avila, the PAC, and Tom Homan. Avila emphasized that neither the O’Shea nor the Lowe campaigns received an endorsement from the PAC, himself, or Homan.
Homan clarified in an interview with The Center Square that he does not have any recollection of speaking or meeting O’Shea or Lowe. Furthermore, he emphasized that he did not endorse them in any way.
In addition, he mentioned that to his knowledge, no one has ever used his name for fundraising purposes without his awareness.
Lucila Maria Seri, campaign manager for John O’Shea, expressed her perspective on the matter, stating, “There was a significant misunderstanding that arose as a result of a oversight in our endorsement vetting process. We accept complete accountability for this and are actively addressing the issue to prevent any recurrence in the future.”
The campaign reached out to Avila to offer an apology, expressing their deep respect for him and Mr. Holman and acknowledging the valuable service they have rendered to our nation. They emphasized that their intention was never to cause any harm to them or their mission of safeguarding our Southern Border from the ongoing invasion our country is facing.
Avila revealed to The Center Square that he was once again caught off guard by the fact that his name was being used for fundraising or campaign purposes without his consent. This marks the second time this has happened to him.
Around eighteen months ago, an individual exploited his name to carry out a deceptive fundraising scheme. This individual falsely claimed that he supported the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association and used this false endorsement to sell memberships. However, Avila clarified that the association does not collect dues through such schemes and that the fraudulent fundraising had no connection to the organization. The funds raised through this scheme were instead intended for the personal financial gain of the individual involved. As a result, federal agents became involved, leading to the arrest of the individual in question, according to Avila’s statement to The Center Square.
Avila responded to O’Shea’s campaign email, expressing his disappointment in the dirty tactics of politics. He emphasized that campaigns and candidates often release unchecked information in order to gain votes.
In February, his campaign sent out an email falsely claiming that the Texas Association of Builders had endorsed him. The association quickly issued a statement denying this endorsement and requesting that O’Shea remove their name from his literature. O’Shea, in response, acknowledged the mistake and apologized for the error, assuring that the correction would be made promptly.
O’Shea’s campaign assertions are consistent with a previous social media post he made on November 20, 2023. In the post, he commented on an MSNBC interview featuring Rep. Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, who was criticizing former President Donald Trump. O’Shea expressed his gratitude by saying, “Thanks Craig!”
According to Kevin Brannon, who serves as a consultant to state Rep. Craig Goldman, John O’Shea is once again making false claims of receiving an endorsement in a desperate attempt to deceive voters and salvage his failing campaign. Despite Donald Trump’s campaign promise to secure the border, O’Shea didn’t even bother to vote for Trump. This so-called conservative has a track record of missing over 30 elections, including failing to vote for Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz, Dan Patrick, and other advocates for border security. It comes as no surprise that O’Shea is resorting to manufacturing support that he simply doesn’t have.
According to Tarrant County election records, O’Shea has not participated in any of the 39 elections held since 2000, as pointed out by Brannon.