El Pasoan John Bash, former US Attorney, announces bid for Texas Attorney General
Aaron Martinez- Former U.S. Attorney John Bash launched his campaign for Texas Attorney General.
- Bash, appointed by Trump, previously served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas.
- He currently represents Elon Musk in a defamation lawsuit.
El Pasoan John Bash, the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas and current attorney for Elon Musk, kicked off his campaign for Texas Attorney General, touting his support for President Donald Trump and attacking "activist judges."
Bash, a Republican, announced his bid in a Wednesday, April 9, news release to replace outgoing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is seeking to oust U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the 2026 primary. Bash is the first candidate to announce he is seeking Texas' open AG seat.
Paxton has served as attorney general since 2015.
“The Texas Attorney General’s office is charged with protecting the well-being and constitutional rights of Texans — the first and last line of defense to preserve our safety, security, and prosperity, at the local and national levels," Bash said in a statement. "The leader of that office must be ready — on Day 1 — to confront the full range of threats to our communities: organized cartels trafficking drugs and human beings; violent gangs terrorizing our neighborhoods; mega-corporations suppressing conservative voices; unscrupulous businesses cheating our consumers and stifling free markets; and activist judges trampling individual rights and allowing lawfare to run rampant in their courtrooms."
He added, "I am that leader.”
Bash's tenure as US Attorney in El Paso
Bash served the El Paso community after he was appointed by Trump as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas in 2017. The Western District of Texas serves various cities through West and South-central Texas, including El Paso, Austin and San Antonio. He resigned from the position in October 2020 for a position in the private sector, Bash said in 2020 statement. Bash left office before President Joe Biden was elected in November 2020.
He was a prominent leader early in the federal case against Patrick Crusius, who killed 23 people and injured dozens in a racially motivated mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart. Bash successfully indicted the gunman on 90 federal charges in connection with the shooting. The gunman ultimately pleaded guilty in February 2023 to the federal charges and was sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences.
The U.S. Attorney's Office elected not to seek the death penalty against the white supremacist gunman who targeted Hispanics doing their Saturday morning shopping in El Paso.
Bash "oversaw hundreds of prosecutors and staff across seven offices, protecting millions of Texans by prosecuting thousands of cases each year," the news release states. Bash led a team of federal prosecutors handling drug trafficking, human smuggling, corruption, child abuse, murder and terrorism cases.
He also "spearheaded the nation’s first enforcement action against a company exploiting vulnerable Texans with fake vaccines" during the COVID-19 pandemic, the news release states.
Bash touts ties to Trump, prominent Republican leaders
Bash served as a special assistant to Trump in 2017 before being appointed as U.S. Attorney. Along with working under the Trump administration, Bash, a Harvard Law School graduate, was also a former law clerk to conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Brett Kavanaugh.
He also worked as a senior counsel to Paxton and deputy policy director for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Bash to the state's inaugural Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council as a constitutional law expert, the news release states. Bash served as the assistant to the solicitor general at the U.S. Department of Justice from 2012 to 2017, according to his LinkedIn page.
Bash claimed his experience working under Trump and Republican leadership is why he is the best candidate to become Texas' newest attorney general.
“The stakes have never been higher," Bash said in a statement. "The Trump administration faces daily challenges from activist judges and nationwide injunctions, and it needs legal allies who know how to fight these high-stakes battles. As we look ahead to 2028, there is no guarantee that the Republican Party will hold the presidency. Should a far-left figure rise to power, Texas will need the toughest, most experienced legal representation to defend our way of life.”
Bash's campaign will focus on "preserving our system of constitutional government and free enterprise for generations to come,” the news release states.
"Attorney General Paxton has assembled an elite team of attorneys in the office of the Attorney General, and together with them, and the leadership of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, I will ensure that the state of Texas stands as a beacon of freedom and strength, protecting and supporting Texans, while continuing to attract innovators and job creators,” Bash said in a statement.
Bash is currently Elon Musk's attorney
Bash is currently an attorney for Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP law firm. He is representing tech billionaire and Trump's Department of Government Efficiency "special government employee" Elon Musk in a defamation lawsuit.
Musk is being sued by Benjamin Brody, a college student who claims Musk spread lies about him on Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The alleged lies include Musk wrongfully claiming Brody participated in an extremist group's street brawl, Reuters reported.
The case remains pending in the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin, court records show.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on X/Twitter @AMartinezEPT.