The Texas Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint alleging that Texas GOP Chair Abraham George illegally threatened and intimidated lawmakers over their support for a House speaker candidate. The complaint highlights the ongoing civil war within the Texas GOP.
Texas GOP Chair Abraham George , who spoke to reporters at the Capitol in January, was the subject of an ethics complaint that has been dismissed. The Texas Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint against the state Republican Party Chair alleging that he illegally threatened and intimidated lawmakers over their support for a House speaker candidate, according to the state House Member who filed the complaint.
R-Palestine, told The Texas Tribune on Tuesday that the commission dismissed the complaint against Texas GOP Chair Abraham George because they did not believe they had the jurisdiction to give an opinion. The complaint highlights an intense and ongoing civil war between the Texas GOP’s far-right wing and its more establishment, but still deeply conservative, flank. That acrimony exploded late last year after a majority of House Republicans voted to support Mansfield Republican Rep., R-Lubbock, announced that he had enough bipartisan support in the 150-member chamber to win a majority. He was elected speaker last week. Burrows’ defiance immediately prompted a pressure campaign from the Texas GOP. In the lead-up to the official House vote last week, the party and George vowed to sendabout Burrows supporters into their districts and to censure any Republican who does not vote for Cook — a move that, In the complaint, Harris alleged that George violated ethics rules by threatening to spend money on mail pieces in Harris’s district attacking him if he didn’t cast his vote for Cook. Harris argued that such a mailer amounted to an “economic benefit” for a primary candidate against Harris and thus constituted a bribe. “I think they chose the politically expedient way out,” Harris said of the commission’s decision. The Texas GOP did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The commission declined to comment. Ethics complaints that are dismissed are confidential under state law. Typically, when the commission receives an ethics complaint, it has five days to determine whether the alleged violation comes under its jurisdiction. When the commission declares it does not have jurisdiction, the complainant can request a review by the commission. Harris said he hasn’t decided yet if he wants to request a review. A mandatory review of the ethics boards by the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, which evaluates agencies and issues recommendations, is already underway. Some Republicans have sought to use the review period as an opportunity to weaken the ethics commission’s oversight powers. That includes political operatives and groups funded by Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, two West Texas oil billionaires who have spent tens of millions of dollars pushing Texas to the far right. Wilks and Dunn are In the days after Harris’ allegations were made public, groups and figures funded by the billionaires again mobilized against the ethics commission. The complaint, they argued, proved that the commission had become a political “weapon,” wielded by powerful people to silence everyday citizens by conducting intense and time-consuming investigations into even the most baseless allegations or mundane violations.Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible. Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount
TEXAS GOP ETHICS COMPLAINT ABRAHAM GEORGE HOUSE SPEAKER RYAN BURROWS ETHICS COMMISSION POLITICAL PRESSURE
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