The Justice Department is investigating Texas Majority PAC, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed on Wednesday, September 30, after one of the group’s organizers was caught on tape calling $25 payments “a roundabout way of paying people for their votes.” The PAC fired the organizer and says the money pays people for grassroots organizing work, not for votes.
Story Snapshot
- An undercover video shows a Texas Majority PAC organizer saying the group paid people $25 to sit through a one-hour Zoom class on why voting matters.
- Two sources confirmed a Justice Department investigation; the department has not announced it.
- The PAC says the video is real but says the organizer misdescribed a legal organizing program, and it fired him.
- Rep. Pat Fallon, a Texas Republican, asked the Justice Department to investigate on Friday, September 18.
What the Video Shows and Why It Matters
The undercover video came out in mid-September. It shows Sky McAdams, then an organizing manager for Texas Majority PAC, saying, “We are paying people $25 to attend a one-hour Zoom class to learn why voting is important.” He called it “a roundabout way of paying people for their votes.” He also said that if he were a Republican, he would be angry and call it “shady.” A PAC, or political action committee, is a group that raises and spends money to help elect candidates. This one backs Democrat James Talarico in the U.S. Senate race in Texas.
Thanks to Townhall's Undercover Video, DOJ Announces Investigation Into Texas Majority PAC https://t.co/puO4NGZnz9
— Vincent Gladu (@VincentGla17630) October 1, 2026
The new part of the story is the federal probe. Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed that the Justice Department is looking at the group after the video spread online. The department has not made a public statement, filed charges or released details about the scope of the investigation. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican in the race, said Talarico’s team had admitted to trying to “bribe people for votes.”
How the Law Draws the Line
Federal law makes it a crime to pay someone to vote, or to pay someone not to vote. Paying people for real campaign work is different and legal. The line is whether money was handed over in exchange for casting a ballot or picking a candidate. Investigators will look for proof of what the $25 was tied to. Past federal cases have turned on a direct trade of cash for a vote.
In the clip, McAdams says the $25 is for a class about voting. Critics say that sounds like a turnout push with cash on the table. Defenders say many campaigns pay people for outreach, phone calls and training, which is common and legal. Records will show what the $25 paid for. In July, Texas Majority PAC reportedly paid an outside firm $500,000 for what it called a “relational organizing program.”
What Texas Majority PAC Says
Texas Majority PAC says the worker’s comments were wrong and do not describe how the program runs. Spokesman Eddie Vale said participants “are compensated for their organizing work,” the same as in any other job, and said the employee was “immediately fired.” The program uses “relational organizing,” where people reach out to their own friends and family about voting. The group’s position is plain: the video is real, but “paying for votes” is not what the money does.
The video itself includes words that stop short of a direct payoff for voting. McAdams says you cannot say, “Here’s $25, go vote for me,” and instead names the class as the paid item. That cuts both ways. It shows he knew the legal limits. It also sounds like a way around them. Investigators can test this by reviewing payments, scripts, class content and any internal rules for the program.
Why Both Sides Are Watching Closely
Conservatives see the clip as proof that cash greases Democratic turnout machines. Liberals worry that ordinary field work will be branded a crime under a Republican-led Justice Department. Many on both sides share a deeper worry: well-funded groups bend the rules while everyday voters get ignored. If the probe leads to charges, trust will rise for some and fall for others. If it closes with no action, critics will say the system protects insiders.
Paper trails and sworn testimony will decide this. Investigators can pull payroll records, class sign-up lists and messages that show whether the $25 matched attendance, outreach tasks or voting. People who took the class can say what they were told. If the money was tied to voting or to backing a candidate, that is serious. If it was tied to training or work, the legal case is weaker. For now, the tape and the federal probe are the confirmed facts.
Sources:
townhall.com, foxnews.com, christianpost.com
