A Republican lawmaker who's emerged as a major enforcer for State Rep. Dustin Burrows and his allies in an epic fight for Texas House speaker is accusing the leader of the Texas Republican Party of violating the legislative bribery law with threats of revenge that he's issued during the past month.
State Rep. Cody Harris of Palestine outlined the accusations in a formal complaint that he submitted to the Texas Ethics Commission on Wednesday. The East Texas Republican argued that state GOP Chairman Abraham George ran amuck of Section 302.032 of the Government Code with threats to fund primary challengers against representatives who back Burrows in the election on the lower chamber floor on Tuesday. Harris also contended that George broke the law in question with warnings on the possibility of denying applications for re-election races in the GOP primary election here next year.
George responded in a statement that claimed that Harris was seeking to "imprison" him and other grassroots conservatives for urging House Republicans to rally behind State Rep. David Cook of Mansfield as the GOP caucus nominee for speaker. Harris theoretically would have aired the charges with the Travis County District Attorney's office or other criminal prosecutors if that had been the case.
"Asking Republican members of the Texas House to support their own rules and the Republican Party of Texas legislative priorities and rules is lawful and constitutionally protected speech," George asserted.
George noted that he'd been elected by the delegates to the state party convention in San Antonio earlier this year. George said that "means bringing truth to the establishment power that impeached our duly elected attorney general" during the last regular session in 2023.
"If Representative Harris had attended the convention, maybe he would understand how grassroots conservatives work," George said before depicting the TEC complaint as "baseless."
The current competition for speaker has unfolded in virgin territory with the recent elimination of restrictions on the involvement of outside interests that are trying to influence the vote. George teamed up with Attorney General Ken Paxton this week at speaker race rallies that specifically targeted eight Burrows loyalists including Harris at stops in Fort Worth, Tyler, Leander and The Woodlands. s
But the state Republican Party's intervention with Paxton's assist hasn't appeared to turn a single vote since Cook claimed the caucus endorsement one month ago with six more votes than Burrows received before a third vote that he and his supporters skipped. Cook wouldn't have had sufficient support to reach the caucus threshold for a nomination if Burrows backers hadn't bolted.
Harris could face monetary sanctions if the TEC determined that the complaint against George was frivolous or was lodged in bad faith.
"The cancel culture and in-fighting in the Republican Party is shameful, and frankly, an embarrassment," Harris said in a statement that he post on X. We are supposed to be on the same side. A disagreement on who the speaker should be is okay. That is part of the governing process - coming at an issue from differing angles and then working things out with a vote. The subsequent threats and temper tantrums are the part that has no place among conservatives."
Sec. 302.032. LEGISLATIVE BRIBERY: PROMISES OR THREATS. A person commits an offense if, with the intent to influence a member of or candidate for the house of representatives in casting a vote for speaker of the house of representatives, the person:
(1) promises or agrees to cause:
(A) the appointment of a person to a chairmanship or vice-chairmanship of a house committee or subcommittee;
(B) the appointment of a person to a particular house committee or subcommittee, the Legislative Budget Board, the Texas Legislative Council, the Legislative Library Board, the Legislative Audit Committee, or any other position the speaker appoints;
(C) preferential treatment on any legislation or appropriation;
(D) the employment of a person; or
(E) economic benefit to a person; or
(A) the failure to appoint a person to a chairmanship or vice-chairmanship of a house committee or subcommittee;
(B) the failure to appoint a person to a particular house committee or subcommittee, the Legislative Budget Board, the Texas Legislative Council, the Legislative Library Board, the Legislative Audit Committee, or any other position the speaker appoints;
(C) unfavorable treatment on any legislation or appropriation;
(D) the refusal of or removal from employment of a person; or
(E) the withholding of economic benefit from a person.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 479, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1985.
Source: Justia US Law
