Cornyn, Paxton in pissing match over who talks tougher about planned Muslim-centric development near Dallas

A proposed North Texas real-estate development targeting Muslim families has become one of the first battlegrounds in the much-watched U.S. Senate race between incumbent John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — both Republicans.

Cornyn, in a Friday letter, called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate potential “religious discrimination” at EPIC City — a master-planned, 400-acre project near Dallas that would include single-family homes, commercial space and separate boys and girls schools centered around a grand mosque.

“Religious-based discrimination is a constitutional violation as well as a federal rights investigation,” Cornyn wrote. “Appropriate steps should be taken to ensure that this community does not run afoul of these obligations.”

EPIC City has become the focal point for right-wing conspiracy theorists after a promotional video for the project went viral in February. Community Capital Partners, formed by members of the East Plano Islamic Center, is behind the development.

In a statement to the Dallas Morning News, Community Capital Partners said it’s “disheartened” EPIC City has “become fodder for pandering and political theater.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations has also blasted the targeting of the development, which it called an “inclusive initiative to provide affordable housing and community services to families of all backgrounds.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=iWG6rSVeETA

After Cornyn fired off his letter, Paxton announced Monday that he’s expanding his investigation into EPIC City by demanding documents from local officials potentially tied to the project.

“If any official is supporting or communicating with a real estate development that is under investigation for potential violations of state law, then it’s imperative that we are made aware of exactly what’s being communicated,” Paxton said in a statement. “We will thoroughly review these documents as part of our ongoing investigation into EPIC City and work to hold accountable anyone who breaks Texas law.”

Further, Gov. Greg Abbott has — without evidence — accused EPIC City of promoting “Sharia law,” according to Dallas TV station KERA News. Earlier this month, the Republican governor ordered developers to halt construction.

The apparent competition between Coynyn and Paxton over who talk tougher about EPIC City comes a week after Paxton officially announced his candidacy to replace Cornyn, who’s up for reelection next year.

The Texas Tribune described the race as a “flashpoint in a power struggle between the Texas GOP’s hardline, socially conservative wing” and the Cornyn-aligned “business-minded Republican old guard.”

Indeed, EPIC City appears to be the first of many battlegrounds Paxton and Cornyn will clash over during the election cycle, which analysts project could be among the nation’s most heated and expensive Republican primaries.

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This article appears in Apr 2-15, 2025.