State Sen. John Whitmire, who has previously indicated that he will hold a hearing to inquire about the current status of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, has reiterated that intent for the near future.
“I’m concerned about the process,” said Sen. John Whitmire, (D) Houston. “It looks to me like it might have gotten off schedule and where do you go forward? Where we go from here is my greatest concern and my responsibility.”
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The governor’s new appointee, John Bradley, a respected district attorney in Williamson County north of Austin, canceled the upcoming hearing, essentially stalling the truth.
Bradley told News 8 he first has to get up to speed on what the Forensic Science Commission does before he moves forward. He would not say when he would call a meeting, or more importantly, whether he would even revive the Willingham investigation.
But, Whitmire, who authored the bill that created the Texas Forensic Science Commission, said he will call a special hearing of the Senate’s Criminal Justice Committee on November 10 in Austin in order to urge Bradley to continue the Willingham investigation and explain what he needs to do a “first class job.”
“He’s not going to stop the truth from coming out, though,” said Gary Udashen, a Dallas attorney and board member for the Texas Innocence Project.
He praised Whitmire for pushing the investigation forward.
“Good for Senator Whitmire,” Udashen said. “Somebody needs to pursue this. The governor’s going to do what he can to stop this. I don’t think he can fire Sen. Whitmire, so good for him.”
“I know John [Bradley] hopes to some day run for something bigger,” Sen. Whitmire said. “So, here’s his opportunity for him to do the right thing, and I’ve told him that.”
Whitmire said he would give Bradley a month to make a plan and get familiar with issues the Forensic Science Commission faces.
Good for Sen. Whitmire, who also says he will push for further investigation of the HPD Crime Lab. I will say again, there is nothing at all that is keeping Bradley from saying right now that he intends to reschedule that meeting. It’s all in his power to turn down the heat level and take politics mostly if not entirely out of this equation. I’ll say again, if he hasn’t given any indication that he intends to do the right thing, then I will take it as clear evidence that he doesn’t intend to do the right thing. The choice is yours, John. EoW and The Contrarian have more.
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