GOP Senator Compares Ken Paxton’s Ethics to Jeffrey Dahmer’s Hunger, “This Guy Is an Empty Suit”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) spoke Sunday about his Republican colleague Sen. Bill Cassidy (LA), who — like Tillis — is now leaving the Senate next year. Both departing lawmakers have been pushing against President Trump on controversial issues including taxpayer funding for Trump’s $1 billion ballroom project and a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for Trump allies, including January 6 insurrectionists.

Cassidy, who broke with Trump on Iran war powers after voting to impeach him during his first term, lost his re-election bid in the May GOP primary to Trump-endorsed candidate Julia Letlow. “I hate that Bill Cassidy lost,” Tillis told CNN’s State of the Union, “he’s a great American, a great Senator.”

Cassidy’s bid mirrored another GOP primary showdown between an incumbent, Sen. John Cornyn (TX), and the Trump-endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Tillis endorsed Cornyn in his runoff against Paxton, portraying the Texas AG as an unqualified moral hazard.

Tillis chose an analogy featuring the infamous cannibal and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer to describe Paxton’s ethics: “To call Paxton ‘ethically challenged’ is to call Jeffrey Dahmer suffering from an eating disorder. This guy is an empty suit, and will do us no service by being in the U.S. Congress.”

Tillis added of Paxton, “He’s gonna be nothing but an anchor on our conference for as long as he’s in the U.S. Senate.”

[NOTE: Today Cornyn appeared on NewsNation and was asked whether he would change his approach in Washington if he falls short in Tuesday’s runoff against Paxton. He replied, “I don’t think so. I think I would certainly do what I always try to do, pick my fights on a case-to-case basis.” He added, “I’d like to continue to try to help the President where I can.”]