Rep. Cody Harris
A Republican Texas House member is calling for the state party chair to be investigated, alleging that he illegally threatened and intimidated lawmakers who are not supporting the party’s preferred candidate for House speaker.
In a complaint filed to the Texas Ethics Commission on Wednesday, Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, alleges that Republican Party of Texas Chair Abraham George violated numerous ethics rules — including those related to bribery — by threatening to send mailers or censure lawmakers who support Rep. Dustin Burrows for House speaker.
Burrows, of Lubbock, and his main opponent in the race, fellow Republican Rep. David Cook of Mansfield, have been in an increasingly acrimonious political standoff since late last year, when a majority of House Republicans voted to support Cook’s speaker bid. The same day, Burrows announced that he had enough bipartisan support in the 150-member chamber to win a majority and become speaker.
Burrows’ defiance of the House caucus, by continuing his campaign for speaker relying on Democratic support, soon prompted a pressure campaign from the Texas GOP. The party and George have since vowed to send negative mailers about Burrows supporters into their districts, and to censure any Republican who does not vote for Cook — a move that, under recently adopted party rules, would bar those lawmakers from appearing on a primary ballot for two years.
Harris cited those two moves in his complaint. He alleged that George’s threats to “expend funds on mail pieces” amount to an “economic benefit” for a primary candidate who might run against Harris, and thus constitute a bribe. Harris also took issue with the party’s new Rule 44, which was passed last year and prohibits censored Republicans from appearing on primary ballots for two years.
“While the constitutionality of amended Rule 44 is doubtful,” Harris wrote, “the rule in conjunction with the respondent’s threatening rhetoric amount to a violation” of the Texas government code’s section on legislative bribery.
This is of course related to the ongoing Speaker’s race, which I confess I had not expected to drag on for this long. I still think this will all get settled by the time January 14 rolls around, but nothing would please me more than to see the House be unable to kick things off because the Republicans are too busy hating each other. This session will suck once it does get started, so the least they can do is provide us with a few cheap laughs before the carnage begins.
Lone Star Left picks up on a particular detail.
The complaint alleges that Abraham George’s conduct was intended to intimidate or coerce a state representative into selecting the Speaker of the Texas House, violating Sec. 302.032 of the Government Code.
[…]
Here’s the thing: Violation of Sec. 302.032 of the Government Code is a criminal offense, not a civil one. It’s a second-degree felony, which can result in a two-year prison sentence. The TEC’s jurisdiction primarily focuses on campaign finance, political advertising, and lobbyist regulations.
Complaints to the TEC can result in investigations and civil penalties, but the TEC cannot impose criminal penalties. If a case involves potential criminal violations, the TEC can refer the case to a district attorney.
We’ll have to monitor this case. RPT Chairman Abraham George may be jailed if the TEC refers it to a district attorney.
I mean, that would be hilarious, though whether anything further would happen is open to debate. And look, while I love me a good “Republicans in disarray” story, so far none of this has stopped them from passing bills and winning elections. It would be nice if that were to change, but we’re still waiting for the proof of concept. Enjoy this for what it is, but don’t lose perspective.
“Texas Ethics Commission”. Ethics, in Texas politics. Is this a joke?