A Democrat candidate who is running to flip a U.S. House seat in Texas once toured with an accordionist who had been convicted for indecent conduct with a child.Bobby Pulido won two Latin Grammys as a Tejano music performer, but a New York Post report found that he performed many concerts with a child sex offender who also played the accordion.'Despite being caught on tape admitting he knew of this man's criminality and praising him as recently as November, Mr. Pulido now falsely claims to have been unaware of his crimes.'Frankie Caballero was sentenced to four years in prison for the second-degree felony with an 8-year-old girl in 2014.The Post documented that Pulido performed with Caballero at concerts in Kansas City, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Tucson, and other places between 2018 and 2021.In addition, the accordionist still identifies himself as the accordion player for Pulido on Facebook.Pulido's campaign manager, Abel Prado, told the Post that Pulido did not know about the child sex crime conviction. "Bobby was never made aware of Caballero's sex offender registration and would never knowingly associate with anyone with that kind of history," Prado said. "Bobby extends his deepest sympathies and support to all of the victims involved."The report also notes that the court records of the conviction in 2014 were not public because the victim was a minor, but the charge, sex registry status, and the sentence are all available on an official website for the Texas Dept. of Public Safety.Booking records at the Hidalgo County Sheriff's website indicate that Caballero was booked on four counts related to indecent sexual contact with a child.Pulido's Republican opponent, Rep. Monica De La Cruz (Texas), released a statement accusing the musician of being less than truthful about what he knew."My heart goes out to the children who were sexually abused by a close friend and professional associate of Bobby Pulido. For three decades, Mr. Pulido brought a child predator into our neighborhoods with multiple convictions for sexually abusing children in Hidalgo County, including an 8-year-old girl," reads the statement from De La Cruz."Despite being caught on tape admitting he knew of this man's criminality and praising him as recently as November, Mr. Pulido now falsely claims to have been unaware of his crimes," she added. "These are not South Texas values. As both a mother and a congresswoman, I want the families of these sexually abused children whose suffering Mr. Pulido ignored to know that I am here for you."She went on to ask the victims' families to contact her office for federal resources of support.RELATED: Democratic challenger in pivotal Texas election portrayed pervert who masturbates in public in music video Prado also said that Pulido learned about Caballero's criminal history in 2021 and immediately fired him.De La Cruz trounced her Democrat opponent in the 2024 election by more than 14 points. President Donald Trump also won the district easily.Prior to the revelations about his touring with a child sex offender, Pulido tried to gain media attention by asking 15-year-old Latinas to invite him to their birthday parties.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi on a short ride to the Supreme Court on Wednesday with just four words, a report says, and now rumors about her potential replacement are swirling around Washington. Trump reportedly told Bondi, "I think it's time," to notify her of her firing the day before formally announcing her removal in a Truth Social post. Trump later announced her departure on Thursday, calling her a "Great American Patriot and a loyal friend" but reportedly privately expressing frustration with the lack of prosecutions against Democrats and her botched handling of the Epstein files. 'I'm not going anywhere.'Needless to say, Bondi had become a sore spot for the administration, prompting her to become the second departure from Trump's Cabinet following former Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem. Trump has since announced that Todd Blanche, Bondi's former deputy, would temporarily step in as attorney general while the president continues weighing his options to fill the slot long-term. Trump's top pick continues to be EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who met with the president on Tuesday, according to one administration official. The meeting was about an unrelated topic, but the official told Blaze News that Trump floated the idea of Zeldin replacing Bondi. The next day, Trump informed Bondi of her firing.RELATED: Bondi is OUT — and Trump already has a replacement in mind Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesWhile Zeldin is widely regarded to be the top choice, Trump has not yet made a formal announcement.Other names have been circulating, although most of them would be considered long shots. Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas had been floated by onlookers, both of whom would likely sail through Senate confirmation. Critics quickly called out anonymously cited senators endorsing Lee for the role, saying they just want to get rid of one of the most conservative lawmakers. "Senators who prefer working two and a half days a week are probably Lee’s biggest cheerleaders in taking another job," a senior Republican source told Blaze News. Lee later set the record straight in a post on X, saying, "I'm not going anywhere." RELATED: Bondi speaks out after ouster, still may have to testify before Congress Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc./Getty ImagesAnother rumored candidate to be top cop has been Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is currently running a fierce campaign to oust Republican Sen. John Cornyn. The two have been facing off in a high-stakes primary that Trump was expected to weigh in on but so far has not done so. Although Paxton is popular with the base, he would have to first be approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on which his opponent sits. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina would also be a challenging committee vote to secure, not to mention Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, who have known to defect on key floor votes. Other possible candidates are some of Bondi's top DOJ officials, including Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon and even Blanche. While Blanche has assumed the role in the interim, he has shut the door on any future Epstein investigation, telling Fox News that "it should not be a part of anything going forward."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In a massive win for those against transitioning minors, the Supreme Court ruled this week that Colorado is not allowed to enforce its “conversion therapy” ban — which aimed to shut down conversations between therapists who do not believe in affirming sin and minors.The 8-1 decision by the high court pointed out that it was wrong for the law to allow for therapists to affirm minors' gender identities or sexual orientations but not allow them to help them change if they want to.The initial lawsuit was brought by Kaley Chiles, a licensed Christian therapist, who argued that the conversations she had with her clients were a form of protected speech, while Colorado claimed the state was allowed to regulate her speech.BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey is thrilled by the news.“What this means is that Christian counselors, Christian mental health professionals are allowed to say what is true. Not only say what they believe biblically, which they should have a right to do, but also say what is true biologically. They were being punished by acknowledging and affirming biological reality,” Stuckey says.“And people, including minors, should be free to have access to biblical counselors, counselors who will tell them the truth,” she continues, pointing out that the real "conversion therapists” are on the left.“What is actual quote unquote ‘conversion therapy’ is the psychiatrist who tells the young, autistic, schizophrenic woman who is coming from an abusive household that, yeah, those feelings of distress that you feel about your body, it’s because you’re the opposite gender,” Stuckey explains.“That is conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is when you tell a young boy, ‘Yeah, sure, you’re actually a girl. Let’s get you on those hormones. I’ll sign the waiver for you. I’ll sign the form telling the endocrinologist and telling the surgeon that you’re good to go,’” she continues.“That is actually harmful, real conversion therapy that absolutely should be banned because it's a lie,” she adds.Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Military members will be allowed to carry their personal firearms on military bases, War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday. The previous policy against personal firearms has been heavily criticized each time a shooting at a military base takes the lives of unarmed military personnel.'Confirming your God-given right to self-protection is what I am signing into action today, and I'm proud to do so.' In a video posted to the X platform, Hegseth said the decades-old policy would be lifted and troops will be allowed to request to carry privately owned firearms "with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection.""Effectively, our bases across the country were gun-free zones," Hegseth said. "Unless you're training or unless you are a military policeman, you couldn't carry. You couldn't bring your own firearm for your own personal protection onto post."He cited the Dec. 2019 attack at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, which took the lives of three men and injured eight others, as well as other lethal shootings. "In these instances, minutes are a lifetime. And our service members have the courage and training to make those precious, short minutes count," he explained. "Before today, it was virtually impossible — most people probably don't know this — it was virtually impossible for War Department personnel to get permission to carry and store their own personal weapons aligned with the state laws where we operate our installations," he added. "Well, that's no longer."He said that in those instances where firearm possession is denied, the refusal must be in writing and fully explained. "The War Department's uniformed service members are trained at the highest and unwavering standards. These warfighters — entrusted with the safety of our nation — are no less entitled to exercise their God-given right to keep and bear arms than any other American," Hegseth added.RELATED: My friend survived the Global War on Terror. Leftist immigration policies got him killed. "Confirming your God-given right to self-protection is what I am signing into action today, and I'm proud to do so," he added before signing the memo in the video. The previous policy against guns on bases can be traced back to rules signed under former President George H.W. Bush.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!