Cornyn calls for DOJ investigation of EPIC City, Paxton expands state investigation

DALLAS - Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is calling on the Department of Justice to investigate a controversial planned development near Josephine, Texas, on the grounds it could discriminate against non-Muslim religious groups.

The move comes on the same day that Cornyn's rival and state Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he was expanding his investigation into EPIC City.

Cornyn asks DOJ to investigate

Cornyn sent the letter to Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, asking the agency to look into possible discrimination against other religious groups.

What they're saying:

"A master-planned ‘community of thousands of Muslims’ could violate the constitutional rights of Jewish and Christian Texans, by preventing them from living in this new community and discriminating against them within the community," Cornyn said in the letter. "I further encourage the Department to investigate whether Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslim minorities would receive equal protection under the law in this new community."

The move prompted the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, to send their own letter to the Department of Justice calling for a civil rights investigation into Texas for "its unconstitutional targeting of Muslim communities."

The other side:

"Senator Cornyn’s request is not only factually baseless. It weaponizes tired Islamophobic tropes to portray a peaceful, inclusive development project as suspicious simply because it is Muslim-led," CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert S. McCaw said. "Rather than targeting Muslim charities working to build family-centered communities, the Department of Justice should investigate Texas officials who appear to be violating the Constitution by singling out Muslims for political gain."

Cornyn's letter cites concerns that EPIC City could violate the Fair Housing Act which prohibits discrimination in housing sales, rentals and financing based on race, religion or national origin.

"The developer’s description is a reason for caution and indicates the Center’s practices may be in violation of federal law," Cornyn said.

CAIR officials contend the investigations are violations of the First Amendment's free exercise clause and the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.

"There is no reason to assume EPIC has violated any laws or regulations. Rather, these politically motivated inquiries appear designed to chill Muslim civic engagement and religious freedom," CAIR officials said in their letter. "This is precisely the kind of discriminatory behavior the Constitution and federal civil rights statutes were enacted to prevent."

Ken Paxton expands state investigation

The move comes on the same day Paxton announced he was seeking communications between the East Plano Islamic Center and city officials in Plano, Richardson and Wylie.

"If any local official is supporting or communicating with a real estate development that is under investigation for potential violations of state law, then it’s imperative that we are made aware of exactly what’s being communicated," Paxton said. "We will thoroughly review these documents as part of our ongoing investigation into EPIC City and work to hold accountable anyone who breaks Texas law."

Paxton previously opened an investigation into Community Capital Partners, which is a for-profit development company run by former EPIC leaders and is the main developer for EPIC City and EPIC City Ranches.

2026 US Senate race

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is challenging John Cornyn for his U.S. Senate seat. The race is already shaping up to be expensive and very messy.

Months of speculation were put to bed when Paxton announced he is running for U.S. Senate.

"It’s time we have another great Senator that will actually stand up and fight for Republican values," he said.

He’s now set up for a showdown with Cornyn, who is running for a fifth term and has never lost an election in Texas.

Less than 24 hours after announcing his campaign, Paxton’s first attack ad has already hit the web. In it, he criticizes Cornyn for going against President Trump before the 2024 election.

Cornyn addressed that last week during an interview with FOX 4.

"I would say President Trump was right and I was wrong," he said.

The Cornyn campaign has made it clear that the senator will go after Paxton’s credibility.

"Ken Paxton is a fraud. He talks tough on crime and then lets crooked progressive Lina Hildago off the hook. He says his impeachment trial was a sham but he didn’t contest the facts in legal filings which will cost the state millions. He says he’s anti-woke but he funnels millions of taxpayer dollars to lawyers who celebrate DEI. And Ken claims to be a man of faith but uses fake Uber accounts to meet his girlfriend and deceive his family," said a spokesperson for the Cornyn campaign. "This will be a spirited campaign and we assure Texans they will have a real choice when this race is over."

Cornyn has said he has voted with Trump 95% of the time, proving he is conservative.

What are EPIC City and EPIC Ranches?

EPIC City is a planned development near Josephine, Texas, in Collin and Hunt counties about 40 miles northeast of Dallas.

According to the development’s website, it will feature a new mosque, single- and multifamily homes, a community college, schools, businesses, a school and parks.

Developers told Collin County commissioners that the development was still in the planning stage, and they weren't ready to apply for permits.

The development sold out its first phase of development, around 500 lots, within six months. Developers are still accepting investors for the second phase of the development.

"The vision for EPIC City is simple," CCP President Imran Chaudhary said. "We want to build an inclusive community, one in which people of every background, faith, and culture can live together in harmony."

EPIC Ranches is another development near EPIC City that offers larger plot sizes of up to an acre and townhome sites that are about a half mile away from EPIC City.

EPIC City investigations

EPIC City has drawn the attention of Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and other Texas leaders.

The developers and East Plano Islamic Center have also been targeted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality who sent a letter to CCP about the permits required to create a municipal utility district.

Gov. Greg Abbott has also asked the Texas Rangers to investigate the mosque and related businesses.

The mosque was also sent a letter from the Texas Funeral Service Commission and has drawn the attention of the Texas Workforce Commission.

CAIR called the investigations baseless and Cornyn's interest in the development and calling for a federal investigation politically motivated.

"It is shameful that Senator Cornyn would choose to endorse Governor Abbott and Attorney General Paxton’s baseless investigations into EPIC’s activities, including securities inquiries and funeral licensing reviews," the advocacy group said. "These actions are clearly politically motivated and unsubstantiated. There is no reason to assume EPIC has committed any violations. Instead, this effort appears designed to stigmatize a Muslim-led institution through abuse of regulatory power and manufactured public suspicion."

Last month, Abbott posted on social media that "Sharia law is not allowed in Texas."

Sharia refers to the laws and guiding principles for the daily lives of Muslim people based on the religion’s holy book, the Quran, and the teachings of the prophet Muhammed.

The mosque and CCP hired high-profile attorney Dan Cogdell earlier this month to represent them in the investigations.

Cogdell called the investigations a result of "racial profiling."

"What's happened from Abbott's office is hate speech," Cogdell said. "He's tweeted that Sharia Law will be implemented. That's a lie. An absolute lie."

PlanoKen PaxtonHunt CountyGreg AbbottReligion