Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is celebrating after saying it "secured a victory" for President-elect Donald Trump regarding the alleged disposal of construction materials used to build the border wall.
Paxton's office released a statement saying its intervention led to a Texas judge preventing the disposal of the materials by the Biden administration over the next month. President-elect Trump will use the materials "as he sees fit," the release said.
The Biden administration had defended the sales, saying they aligned with the fiscal 2024 defense policy bill, which mandated the disposal of surplus wall materials. Nonetheless, it announced it will comply with the order.
Paxton had filed a motion to this end "following reports that the Biden administration is illegally selling segments of the border wall at the United States-Mexico border." Trump had filed a motion as well, with his legal team saying the sales could constitute deliberate obstruction of his policy goals, describing them as "acts of sabotage."
The materials in question included surplus items auctioned by GovPlanet, a private company handling government surplus. Trump's legal filing argues that these sales violate a prior court ruling, which compelled the Biden administration to use unspent funds for border construction.
Republicans in Congress had criticized the sales, calling for transparency regarding the materials' disposal. Senators, including Tom Cotton and Bill Hagerty, have demanded a full accounting of the transactions and documentation of buyers, arguing that the sale of materials at discounted prices wastes taxpayer money and undermines border security initiatives.
Trump also celebrated the decision by the judge, saying in a publication on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he will "rebuild" the wall "in in order to protect our Country from violent migrant crime, fentanyl smuggling, sex trafficking, terror attacks, and other heinous, Nation ending disasters."
"he Judge has also ordered an investigation into the illegal selling of the materials, which will expose just how corrupt and anti-American Radical Democrats are. I am honored to be joined in this vital case by the Great States of Texas and Missouri, and applaud Judge Drew Tipton for doing the right thing for our Country. We have to protect our Borders, and Save America. MAGA!" the president-elect added.
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