At the GOP midterm convention in Dallas last month, a curious guest posed for pictures with Ken Paxton and other MAGA dignitaries.
asserted
guest → pose → Paxton
Fatmir Mediu, a 59-year-old Albanian parliamentarian, wore a dark suit, a big security badge, and a pin that included the Albanian and American flags.
asserted
that → wear → flags
At his side was Sali Berisha, the leader of Albania’s main opposition party, who posted a photo on X.
asserted
who → post → photo
Berisha can be seen to Paxton’s left, and a smiling Mediu is on Paxton’s right.
asserted
Mediu → see → right
To understand Mediu’s interest in American politics, you have to go back to March 15, 2008.
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you → understand → March
On that day, in an Albanian village called Gerdec, a former army barracks full of excess munitions exploded.
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barracks → call → munitions
A series of massive blasts killed 26 people, injured hundreds, and leveled or damaged thousands of buildings.
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series → kill → buildings
Investigators, including a team from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, later faulted egregious safety violations at the facility.
asserted
Investigators → include → facility
Those included a private contractor using untrained local workers, some of them children, to dismantle live ammunition.
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some → include → ammunition
At the time, Mediu was serving as the country’s defense minister.
asserted
Mediu → serve → minister
Families of victims and political opponents of Albania’s then-ruling Democratic Party alleged Mediu and other officials had overlooked safety concerns.
asserted
Mediu → rule → concerns
Albanian prosecutors later charged Mediu, who resigned shortly after the disaster, with abuse of his position related to his failure to oversee the contractor.
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who → charge → contractor
Mediu has denied wrongdoing, and the case remains unresolved amid wrangling over whether he had parliamentary immunity protecting him from criminal charges.
asserted
he → deny → charges
In a June 2008 letter to the State Department, the chair of the US House Oversight Committee cited an allegation reported by the New York Times that Mediu had accepted kickbacks related to a scandal featuring an American military contractor called AEY.
asserted
Mediu → cite → contractor
(Mediu denied that allegation and was never criminally charged over it.)
asserted
Mediu → deny → it
Four men connected to the American company were later convicted of fraud for selling aging Chinese-manufactured ammunition to the US military for use in Afghanistan, after altering its packaging in Albania to mask its true origin.
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men → connect → origin
This scandal was depicted in the 2016 movie War Dogs.
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scandal → depict → movie
Eighteen years after those events, various players have served prison sentences or died.
asserted
players → serve → sentences
But Mediu appears to be thriving.
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Mediu → appear → ?
He is member of parliament representing a minor party closely aligned with Berisha’s.
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He → represent → Berisha
He’s a frequent international traveler, who seems to function as the Albanian opposition’s liaison to the American right.
asserted
who → ’ → right
Mediu—who an associate said favors well-tailored suits and expensive watches—often attends the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington and international conservative conferences.
asserted
associate → say → Washington
He has built relationships with former Trump campaign co-chair Chris LaCivita and has met Justice Department officials and a slew of Texas lawmakers.
asserted
He → build → lawmakers
But Mediu appears to have been especially successful in cultivating Paxton.
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Mediu → appear → Paxton
The controversial Texas attorney general has interacted repeatedly with Mediu over the last four years, including in Albania.
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general → interact → Albania
This year, Mediu, along with Berisha, appears to have helped Paxton raise money from Albanian Americans in the United States.
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Paxton → appear → States
Mediu, meanwhile, seems to be using his American political ties as he seeks US government help pressuring Albanian prosecutors to back off their longstanding case against him.
asserted
he → seem → him
Mediu and a representative for Berisha’s Democratic Party of Albania did not respond to detailed questions from Mother Jones.
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Mediu → respond → Jones
Paxton’s Senate campaign against Democrat James Talarico has been dogged by ethics questions.
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campaign → dog → questions
Media reports have highlighted Paxton allegedly stealing a $1,000 Montblanc pen in 2012 (he claimed it was a mix-up); his 2015 indictment for securities fraud (The DOJ dropped the charges after he paid $300,000 of restitution in 2024); his 2023 impeachment in Texas (the state Senate acquitted Paxton); various investments with questionable partners; and his reported partying with two international fugitives at a 2024 New Year’s Eve party in Dubai.
uncertain
Senate → highlight → Dubai
Paxton has denied any wrongdoing in all these matters.
asserted
Paxton → deny → matters
Amid those issues, Paxton’s relationship with Mediu, Berisha, and their associates has drawn more modest attention.
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relationship → draw → attention
The Texas Observer reported in 2023 on a trip that Paxton and his now-estranged wife Angela took to Europe the previous year with a major campaign donor who was working as a lobbyist promoting a telecom startup.
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who → report → startup
When the Paxton’s visited Tirana, Albania’s capital, Mediu hosted them.
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Mediu → visit → them
The state of Texas paid nearly $80,000 for that trip, which included a security detail for the Paxtons, according to the Observer.
uncertain
which → pay → Observer
That’s part of the $3.1 million in state funds that Paxton has spent on 350 trips outside of Texas since 2015 on which he brought a security detail, the New York Times reported this week.
asserted
Times → ’ → detail
In January 2025, Mediu and Albanian real estate magnate Bashkim Ulaj—a long-time Berisha ally—stayed in Washington hotel rooms that Paxton’s state office had booked, the Texas Bullpen reported last year.
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Bullpen → stay → that
The rooms were for Trump’s inauguration and people watching the Texas AG’s office argue a case before the US Supreme Court around that time.
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rooms → watch → time
Other people who received rooms from the same hotel block included major Paxton donors.
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who → receive → donors
Paxton’s office has said the nonrefundable rooms would have gone unused because a winter storm had interfered with Texas officials’ travel and that the people who ultimately used the rooms reimbursed the state.
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who → say → state
…and 61 more, not listed.
The Aporia
