A video shows Ken Paxton, the Republican running for US Senate in Texas, at a New Year's Eve party in Dubai with two men who had fled federal fraud charges, The Wall Street Journal reported. Other outlets followed the Journal's report.

The 37-second clip shows Paxton and his girlfriend, Tracy Duhon, watching fireworks from a high-rise balcony to welcome 2025, the Washington Examiner reported. With them were Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail.

The two men had been charged in 2024 with stealing more than $15 million from a Chicago hospital, the Examiner said. They did not return to the US to face the charges at the time, The Independent reported.

Ahmed had donated $190,000 to Paxton, according to campaign records cited by the Journal, both outlets said.

Both men have since returned to the US, and Ahmed is in custody, The Independent reported. Suhail's lawyer said legal matters in Dubai had kept him from traveling, and that he came back on his own. The two pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday, San Antonio TV station KSAT reported, citing the Chicago Tribune.

Paxton's campaign did not directly address the trip. "Like President Trump, Ken Paxton has been politically persecuted for years, and every time, voters have seen through it," senior adviser Nick Maddux told the Journal, The Independent reported.

His Democratic opponent, James Talarico, attacked him. "A party with multiple fugitives and Ken Paxton is still the sketchiest guy in the room," Talarico said, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Paxton, the state's attorney general, has faced other scandals, the Examiner noted. He was impeached and acquitted in 2023. He has said the charges against him were politically driven.

Early voting in Texas starts next week.

What we know: A video shows Paxton at a 2025 Dubai party with two men who had fled fraud charges.
What we don't: Whether Paxton knew the men were facing charges.