White House officials offered an Indiana Senate candidate potential government jobs and appointments in exchange for dropping out of the Republican primary election next month, according to recorded phone calls and text messages released Friday.
Alexandra Wilson is running to unseat state Sen. Greg Goode (R-Terre Haute) in Indiana Senate District 38. The other challenger, Vigo County Council member Brenda Wilson, has the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
Trump has backed candidates against Goode and other Indiana senators who voted against his call to redraw the state’s congressional maps mid-decade during the legislative session last year.
Alexandra Wilson released a collection of screenshots, voicemail transcriptions and recorded calls to reporters Friday. NBC News was the first to report on the files.
“Instead of considering the merits of my candidacy, the White House and Indiana leaders have spent countless hours trying to push me aside, including offers of potential employment in taxpayer-funded roles in exchange for my leaving the race,” Wilson said in a written statement. “They crossed a line, and Hoosiers deserve to know that.”
The files shared by Wilson show contact from Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, Gov. Mike Braun’s chief of staff Joshua Kelley, White House political director Matt Brasseaux and White House deputy chief of staff James Blair.
The calls and text messages appear to begin in early February, just after Wilson filed to run in the primary. Wilson shared call logs with WFYI but it’s not exactly clear what day each call was taken on.
When Brasseaux spoke with Wilson, he asked her to tell him about why she was running.
“I do not believe that Brenda is a good candidate,” she told Brasseaux on a call. “I don't think she's a good choice. I don't, you know, I don't think she'd be making quality choices for the local folks here.”
But Brasseaux then offered to contact what he described as the White House’s hiring office to find her a “landing spot.”
“Is that something that would be interesting to you? As far as employment?” Brasseaux asked.
Alexandra Wilson told him it would not.
In a statement sent to WFYI, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “this is what the political team does.”
“They talk to candidates across the country. And it’s not, you know, again, it’s not coming from a place of malice. It is coming from a place of doing their jobs to report back to the president about what’s going on in these races.”
WFYI reached out to Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Gov. Mike Braun’s office for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
In another call with White House deputy chief of staff James Blair, he raised concerns about there being two candidates with the last name Wilson in the race, noting that it could give the edge to incumbent Goode.
Blair also told Wilson that it would be difficult for Trump to “change streams” and endorse her after first endorsing Brenda Wilson.
“If we go the three way and there is no change,” Blair said. “I think this is going to be a really nasty race.”
Blair then asked Wilson where she stood on redistricting and whether he could get her to stand down from the race. Wilson again said she would not step down.
Blair then brought up Wilson’s arrest and asked how she would explain herself to voters.
At 19, Wilson was charged with resisting arrest by vehicle, Wilson’s attorney has said, which means she did not immediately pull over for officers.
Blair warned her that it “will for sure come up” with both Greg Goode and Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray “playing for keeps.”
Before ending the call Blair asked her how much in donations she could raise and whether she had a campaign team.
“I’ve got the support of the GOP chairman,” Wilson said.
That call was made in early February. By the end of that month, James Bopp, an attorney who says he supports Brenda Wilson, would be in front of the Indiana Election Commission challenging Alexandra Wilson’s right to appear on the ballot.
Bopp challenged Alexandra Wilson’s eligibility to appear on the ballot on the grounds that she was charged with a felony. The issue has twice deadlocked the Indiana Election Commission even though Alexandra Wilson says she never pleaded to a felony, and her attorney said the charge was pleaded down to a misdemeanor.
Alexandra Wilson has since had that case expunged from her record, but that hasn’t stopped James Bopp from repeatedly asserting she is a felon, something Wilson’s attorney has warned amounts to “defamation per se.”
The primary election is May 5.
Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org
