Donald Trump just tipped his hand in the ongoing redistricting war in Texas, according to the president’s former “trusted operative.”
Former Trump associate Lev Parnas, who says he used to be “deep inside the Trump machine” and now reports from the outside, recently flagged a news story that he was sure would make Trump “flip.”
Now, Parnas is saying Trump’s language gave away some of the GOP’s plan in Texas.
“I used to be one of them. Deep inside the Trump machine. I know the language, the strategy, the playbook. I know how they move, when they pivot, and what comes next,” Parnas wrote in an article called “Trump Says ‘We’re Entitled to Five More Seats’—Texas Turns into a Battlefield.”
Summarizing the ongoing Texas controversy with Republicans abruptly trying to change the map, Parnas said, “More than fifty lawmakers fled the state, denying Republicans the quorum they needed to ram the maps through. Some went to New York. Others to Massachusetts. Many to Illinois and New Hampshire. Anywhere but Texas.”
“Governor Greg Abbott responded by issuing civil arrest warrants. But those only carry legal weight inside Texas. Outside state lines, they’re little more than headlines,” the ex-associate added. “So they escalated. Senator John Cornyn wrote to the FBI, asking the federal government to help locate and detain state legislators. And Donald Trump—again—made clear what he wanted. He told reporters the FBI ‘may have to get involved.’ He said the quiet part out loud.”
Here’s what Parnas says is the real plan “behind the scenes”:
“Here’s what my sources are telling me, behind the scenes: the FBI’s involvement isn’t just about locating lawmakers. It’s about building a case. Officials inside the Bureau are now quietly exploring whether figures like Beto O’Rourke or Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker can be tied to a broader conspiracy—accusations of bribery, of influencing public officials to abandon their sworn duties,” he wrote. “If they can make that stick, they’ll say it crosses state lines. And suddenly, it’s a federal case.”
Parnas goes on to say the plan goes beyond Texas.
“This isn’t just about Texas. This is about 2026. This is about the future of the American political map, and who controls it,” he said, adding that Florida has launched similar operations. “This is Project 2025 in motion. The map is part of the mission. And if you think it ends at gerrymandering, you’re not paying attention. They’re not just shifting lines. They’re shifting laws. Deploying federal agencies. Elevating partisan loyalty over constitutional norms. Every lever of power is being pulled.”