AG Paxton Calls on House Speaker Phelan To Resign Over "Intoxication" Incident; House Investigating Paxton Payout

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Tuesday called for Speaker of the state House Dade Phelan to resign, alleging he presided over the lawmakers “in a state of apparent debilitating intoxication," 

“After much consideration, it is with profound disappointment that I call on Speaker Dade Phelan to resign at the end of this legislative session,” Paxton said in a statement,  Paxton posted on Twitter Tuesday afternoon.

 “Texans were dismayed to witness his performance presiding over the Texas House in a state of apparent debilitating intoxication,"  he said. 

Meanwhile,  a Texas House committee revealed Tuesday it is investigating the office of Attorney General Ken Paxton over his push for $3.3 million in taxpayer dollars to settle a whistleblower lawsuit from former deputies who had accused Paxton of misconduct.

It's a dramatic case of tit for tat, just days before this year's legislative session ends.

(Full story HERE and HERE.)
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O'Rourke Responds To Oilman's Defamation Suit; Denies Charges

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Beto O'Rourke has officially responded to a defamation lawsuit brought against him by a billionaire oil executive, denying all the allegations.

As the Dallas Morning News reported, O'Rourke did not seek the dismissal of the case against him in his court filing. He told the newspaper that he looked forward to having the case unfold in front of Texas residents and voters.

(Full story HERE.)
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Statehouse Staffer Lied About Lobbyist Rape, Say Investigators

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The news landed at the Texas Capitol last month like a bombshell: State police were investigating claims that a male lobbyist from one of the most influential firms in Austin had used a date rape drug on two female legislative staffers.

Now, a DPS investigation has concluded that a legislative staffer fabricated the story of the date rape drug to cover up embarrassing personal behavior. 

(Full story here
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Cedar Park City Councilor Accuses 3 Colleagues Of Misusing Taxpayer Funds

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Cedar Park City Councilor Tim Kelly is accusing three of his colleagues of misusing taxpayer funds and has filed complaints with the state ethics Commission.

Each member of the Cedar Park City Council receives a monthly stipend to cover the cost of mobile phone service - a necessity for an elected representative in a growing community and in an interconnected age.

 

But according to Kelly, three of his council colleagues have been misappropriating their $100-per-month city cell phone funds by using my the phones for campaign purposes.

 

In sworn complaints with the Texas Ethics Commission, Kelly said three of his colleagues -- Mayor Pro Tem and Place 3 Council member Anne Duffy, Place 5 Council member Rodney Robinson, and Place 6 Council member Heather Jefts -- maintain their officially listed phone numbers also on their Facebook Pages. Those social media pages, while retitled to reflect their current elected offices, still contain campaign images, disclaimers, and verbiage and are clearly promotional in nature, he said.

 

"Using taxpayer funds to campaign is a flagrant violation of the public trust," Kelly said. "There is a reason why state law does not treat this abuse of elected office lightly. I look forward to a quick turnaround on this by the Texas Ethics Commission, and referral to the proper authorities or Texas Attorney General's office for further investigation."

Duffy is currently a candidate for re-election to Place 3 on the May local election ballot. Kelly and Robinson are not seeking re-election. Jefts's seat is up for re-election in 2022.

There has been a good deal of bad blood between Kelly and the rest of the council in the past year. In 2020, Kelly was censured by the board for making comments on Facebook that were said to be disrespectful and violated the city's "code of ethics."

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