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Joaquin Castro slammed for tweeting names of major Trump donors from San Antonio

List includes owners of the Pearl, Bill Miller BBQ

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro is catching heat online for posting a list of locals who contributed the maximum amount to President Donald Trump’s campaign this year. 

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“Sad to see so many San Antonians as 2019 maximum donors to Donald Trump — the owner of @BillMillerBarBQ, owner of the Historic Pearl, realtor Phyllis Browning, etc.,” Castro tweeted from his campaign account Monday night. “Their contributions are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as ‘invaders.’”

An image attached to the tweet listed 44 names and the individual’s employer, which is public record and accessible online. Federal law allows individuals to donate up to $2,800 per election to a candidate, but some people on the list also donated to Trump's PAC. That includes Christopher Goldsbury, who owns the Pearl. He's donated more than $200,000 to Trump and his PAC in 2019, federal election records show.

Calls to Castro’s office and a public relations firm that manages the Pearl were not immediately returned.

RELATED: San Antonio Archbishop after El Paso shooting: ‘President stop your hatred’

A few responses to the tweet were supportive, with users saying they would no longer support some of the companies. But a vast majority of the responses called for Castro to delete the tweet or criticized him for allegedly encouraging harassment of the donors. 

Joe Pags, a conservative radio host in San Antonio, called Castro a “Hispanic Supremacist” in a tweet. “An elected official to the US House just threatened the lives of those who donated to” Trump, he wrote.

“Thank you! Going to get a full tank at Valero and stopping by Bill Miller on way to list my house with Phyllis Browning!,” wrote @RafanAustin. 

A white 21-year-old man from the Dallas area used a semi-automatic rifle to carry out a massacre that targeted Hispanics at an El Paso Walmart on Saturday. Authorities are investigating an anti-immigrant, white supremacist manifesto apparently posted by the shooter that riled against the "Hispanic invasion of Texas" and other language similar to that used by Trump on the campaign trail. The gunmam has been charged with capital murder and federal authorities are investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism.

Democrats, including Castro, former Congressman Beto O'Rourke, El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, have asked Trump not to visit the border-grieving city on Wednesday. 

RELATED: Donald Trump still owes city of El Paso $470,000 for MAGA rally from February

San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller posted a rash of tweets on Monday night calling out racism, violence and President Trump. Some of those tweets that mentioned Trump have since been deleted.

Mariah Medina contributed to this report.


About the Author
Kolten Parker headshot

Kolten Parker is Manager of Content and Coverage at KSAT. He moved into the role in 2024, after five years of leading the digital team. Kolten is an award-winning journalist and a proud Texas State Bobcat. He's a triathlete who loves the outdoors and sports. When not working, he likes to hang out with his wife and travel.

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