The dispute stems from scrutiny over Hunt’s past voting record, with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also criticizing Cornyn’s campaign for sharing the sensitive information. (Official website of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton; Kevin Dietsch/Getty; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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Harris County Constable Mark Herman's office confirmed a report had been filed.
A source from the Hunt campaign told Fox News Digital that law enforcement officials intend to subpoena X to retrieve the deleted post which showed Hunt's personal information.
Hunt accused Mackowiak and the Cornyn campaign of "doxxing" his family in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"The tragic situation involving Savannah Guthrie is a painful reminder of how vulnerable our family truly is," Hunt told Fox News Digital. "They should never be put in harm's way. And yet, that's exactly what happened to my family."
"Despite knowing how dangerous and irresponsible it is to doxx someone’s family, the Cornyn campaign did it to mine," Hunt added. "What happened to my family members should never happen to anyone."
Hunt also said Cornyn had not reached out since the post was published.
Rep. Wesley Hunt filed a police report after a senior staffer for Sen. John Cornyn’s campaign posted an unredacted 2016 provisional ballot containing Hunt’s and his family’s personal information, including partial Social Security and driver’s license numbers. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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The controversy surrounding the ballot goes back to Hunt saying he had "supported President Trump since 2016," though no ballot was actually cast on Nov. 4 of that year because Hunt wasn't registered to vote at the time.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is also running against Hunt and Cornyn for the Senate seat, weighed in on the post, saying the Cornyn campaign is "cheering on his staff" for doxxing Hunt.
"I still can't believe that John Cornyn's senior staffer last night doxxed Wesley Hunt's family and posted his social security number on X and then Cornyn defended it," Paxton said in an initial statement on X.
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"The man who's made ‘character’ the centerpiece of his campaign is cheering on his staff doxxing his opponent's family," Paxton said in a separate post.
"Character does matter, but John's never had any and tonight proves that," Paxton added.
As for the police report, Republican Party of Texas General Counsel Rachel Hooper told Fox News Digital said publicizing the personal information "should be investigated."
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is also running in the GOP Senate primary, blasted Sen. John Cornyn’s campaign for "doxxing" Rep. Wesley Hunt’s family by posting unredacted personal information online. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
"Over the past two years, we have witnessed multiple assassination attempts against President Trump and the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Hooper told Fox News Digital.
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"As a former prosecutor and former deputy chief of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, the public release of personal identifying information should be investigated and the safety of elected officials, candidates, and their families must be given the utmost priority," Hooper added.
But legal experts are skeptical that federal law and Texas Penal Code 42.074 would justify charges against Mackowiak.
"Laws criminalizing the posting of Social Security numbers, addresses, or other personal information are generally focused on situations in which the specific intent in posting the personal information was to doxx, intimidate, harass, or otherwise cause harm," former federal prosecutor Andrew Cherkasky told Fox News Digital.
"Specific intent crimes are often very difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, particularly where there appears to be a legitimate (potentially First Amendment protected) intent to post for the purpose of exposing political affiliations," Cherkasky explained.
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Early voting for the GOP primary in Texas began Tuesday.
"I hope the Cornyn campaign takes this seriously," Hunt told Fox News Digital. "Because I do."
Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston
Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hunt-files-police-report-against-cornyn-campaign-staffer-over-alleged-family-doxxing-incident