Good morning –

Yesterday, we asked readers if they'd want to censure Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan. Today, we have the answers.

You'll find them at the conclusion of the Texas Minute for Tuesday, July 18, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Dan Patrick Issues Gag Order Ahead of Paxton Trial

• With the Senate trial approaching in the impeachment case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has placed a gag order on all parties involved in the case. Brandon Waltens has the details.
    

• The order cites a recent newspaper editorial by State Rep. Andrew Murr (R–Junction), who is on the House Board of Managers, in which he used phrases such as “harrowing findings of corruption,” “shocking pattern of abuse and criminality,” and “one overwhelming conclusion” when discussing the impeachment.
   

• The order also cites a press conference by attorneys Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin, prosecutors for the House, in which they called Paxton a “crook” and stated that “the allegations will blow your mind.”
        

• Patrick's order also took to task Paxton’s defense team—attorneys Tony Buzbee and Dan Cogdell—who referred to the impeachment as an “evil, illegal, and unprecedented weaponization of state power” and called the articles of impeachment “bologna.”
       

• The order applies to all members of the House of Representatives, parties to the impeachment trial, witnesses, as well as their attorneys and staff. Senators had placed themselves under a gag order last month.
      

• Buzbee was slated to hold a press conference today concerning allegations that the House impeachment team is obstructing their discovery efforts ahead of the trial. That press conference has been canceled.

Mexico Files Complaint Over Texas’ Border Buoys

• Mexico’s incoming secretary of foreign affairs, Alicia Bárcena, sent a diplomatic letter to the U.S. government raising concerns about the buoys. At issue, reports Katy Marshall, is Mexico's claim that the buoys violate a 1944 treaty.
       
• The Mexico-U.S. Water Treaty of 1944 gave Mexico the rights to water territory along the Rio Grande, Colorado, and Tijuana rivers. Bárcena said Mexico will conduct “a territorial inspection” to confirm that Abbott’s buoys “do not cross into Mexican territory.”
       
• A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Texas “did not consult with the U.S. federal government before installing the buoys or constructing the barriers.”

Leftists Fail to Cancel Conservatives in Lubbock

• A leftist group called “Mothers Against Greg Abbott” tried—and failed—to cancel an event teaching Lubbock residents how to challenge sexually explicit books so adult content is removed from children’s libraries. Erin Anderson reports the event was hosted by the True Texas Project.
   
• The event featured Tracy Shannon teaching how to “Defeat the Dirty Books.” It was originally set to be held at Science Spectrum, a museum that hosts educational programs. 
      
• On July 10, the leftist group began marketing against the event. The next day, the Science Spectrum “revoked” TTP’s reservation and cited “recent information received and the controversial nature of the meeting.”
        
• The event was moved to the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Lubbock, which then bowed to pressure from the anonymous group.
      
• Finally, the event went forward at the Rock City Event Center, which is run by a local church.
      
• True Texas Project founder Julie McCarty said the extra publicity ended up boosting turnout and participation for the event.
       
• FWIW: No protesters showed up.

Minors in State Care Went ‘Missing,’ Became Sex Slaves

• More than 210 minors that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services had in their care went “missing” and became sex slaves. Robert Montoya has the details. 
       
• This is the latest in a long line of scandals for an agency charged with protecting children. It is also supposed to be a key partner in investigating predatory actions at government schools. Yet in many areas, DFPS has been found to be part of the problem.
      
• Texas Scorecard has done two in-depth investigations on DFPS and the plight of children trapped in the sex trade. The topic has taken on a new interest, as evidenced by the recent release and strong box office performance of the independent film “Sound of Freedom.”

Audit Reveals Security Risks and Inmate Banking Concerns in Harris County

• An audit finds severe issues with government building security in Houston and concerns with how the Sheriff’s Office is handling inmate finances. Micah Rice reports on the findings announced by Harris County Auditor Michael Post and Houston City Controller Chris Brown.
      

• Brown’s office found 1,507 former employees still “had unchecked and potentially unrestricted access to the City’s facilities and buildings”– presenting potential security risk for current employees and the public. On July 13, a registered sex offender was able to enter the City Hall annex. He verbally attacked the intern working at the reception desk, then proceeded to the fourth floor to berate another city worker.

        
• Meanwhile, Post’s audit detailed several “high-risk” issues, including the Sheriff’s Office holding back $1 million of released inmates’ funds in violation of state law.
      
• "Audits provide significant insight into the mismanagement of our local governments across the state. If you ask elected officials, they’d have you believe that there are no issues to be found, but these audits paint a different picture." – Charles Blain, president of the Urban Reform Institute

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Quote-Unquote

"In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot."

– Mark Twain​

Y'All Answered

The Republican Party of the largest county in House Speaker Dade Phelan's district has censured him, opening the door for the State Republican Executive Committee to now do so. That action, in turn, would allow the state party to spend money opposing Phelan in the 2024 GOP primary.

Yesterday, we asked readers if they would vote to censure Phelan. Answering "yes" (in favor of censuring Phelan) were 96.6% percent of readers, leaving just 3.4 percent in opposition.

Here is a sampling of the responses from my inbox. No opponents offered a comment.

• “Phelan is an embarrassment to the party AND the state. It’s time he goes back into the private sector to live with the laws he’s promoted…” – Dana Kay
      

• “Absofreakinglutely Phelan should be censured!” – Tony Anderson
      

• “Not just censure, impeach the RINO.” – Mozelle Barr
      

• “Phelan and his lackeys need to be voted out of office.” – Lane Burgess
      

• “Speaker Phelan, who runs as a Republican, has proven he has little to no regard for the Republican Party of Texas, its platform, its principles, or its voters.  He does not deserve RPT support.” – Fran Rhodes 
      

• “Heck, yes! It is high time for the State Republican Executive Committee to censure Phelan. He desperately needs to be primaried-out! A true Republican does NOT give away committee chair positions to Democrats. A true Republican does NOT hold a sham vote on impeaching our Republican Texas Attorney General Paxton over ‘charges’ that even the DOJ decided not to pursue against Paxton.” – Dana Krasinksi
      

• “Dade Phelan should never have been elected again. If only we had staunch conservatives who would take a stand for their beliefs, this would not have been accomplished!” – Charlie George
      

• “Yes; Phelan needs to be ‘censured’ and removed from the speakership. But then, all RINOs need to learn what it means to be a ‘conservative’ Republican.“ – Joe Zimmer
      

• "What took so long?! Phelan should be done and gone...yesterday." – Bette Cox
       

• "Yes, Dade Phelan needs to go... and he is from my district.  I truly believe that he does NOT espouse the same conservative principles that the majority of Texas Republicans, including myself, hold dear." – David Barton
       

• “If more censuring of Dade Phelan will help end his obstructionist political career, then GO FOR IT!” – Betty Bailey-Lucas
      

• “They should censure all 'Republicans' who supported Phelan as well.” – Alan Smith
      

• “Phelan is no friend of Republicans.” – Priscilla Love
      

• “I had to choose ‘yes’ because ‘hell, yes’ wasn’t an option!” – Steve Sullivan
      

• “As a member of the Tarrant County GOP Executive Committee that tried to censure Dade Phelan, my answer, along with the vast majority of my fellow EC members, is a resounding YES! “ – Tamma Gunn
      

• “As a past State Republican Executive Committee chairman for Senate District 21 and a long-time Guadalupe County precinct chairman, I strongly favor the censure of Phelan and his 'spit in the eye' attitude against the legislative priorities of the Party that put him in office. I also favor the censure of every Republican House member who turns a blind eye to the party they claim to represent. My sincere hope is to see a primary opponent for each of these Republican failures.” – Terry Harper
      

• “Censure of Phelan is a first step; he needs to be removed from office.” – Al Crable
      

• “Phelan definitely needs to be censured! He is a RINO. I'm not sure I've ever seen any other politician work so hard to vote against what his party wants.” – Cathy Blake
      

• “Dade Phelan is a rot that needs to be dug out of the Republican Party and Texas government.  His fellow RINO Lynn Stuckey should suffer the same fate.” – Roger White
       

• "Defeating Dade Phelan in the next election should be priority number 1.  So long as he is speaker of the House, our conservative Republican agenda will be thwarted at every turn." – Michael Wooten
      

• "It looks as though very few conservative bills will make it out of committees as long as Phelan is speaker." – Collin Farrell
       

• "Dade Phelan isn't even pretending to be a Republican anymore, and his bad example is encouraging others to follow suit with their total disregard of the grassroots." – Cindy Armstrong
      

• "Phelan is the poster boy for the definition of a RINO.  His censure is long overdue!" – Rowland Greenwade

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