Sunday, December 22, 2024

NEWS DIGEST

by Brandon Waltens

Good morning,

In a dramatic twist to the already contentious Texas House speaker race, accusations of unethical behavior are being levied against State Rep. Dustin Burrows and his campaign. 

In a series of social media posts, State Rep. J.M. Lozano (R–Kingsville) alleged that a registered lobbyist aligned with Burrows (R-Lubbock) had secretly spied on private Democrat caucus meetings with the assistance of a Democrat chairman. Lozano called the actions an “unprecedented and unethical” breach of trust as Burrows vies for the speaker’s gavel.

Burrows lost the race for the House GOP caucus nomination to David Cook (R-Mansfield).

According to Lozano, the lobbyist in question—described as a “puppet master” and “former member who got Phelan and Burrows to run for speaker”—gained access to emergency Democrat caucus meetings. These meetings are typically closed-door sessions where lawmakers discuss strategy and internal matters. Lozano claims that the lobbyist’s actions were orchestrated to benefit Burrows in his campaign for speaker, a move he described as a “massive ethical violation.”

Sources have confirmed that the lobbyist in question is former House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. Bonnen served one term as speaker of the House in 2019 before being forced to step down following his own ethics scandal, which also involved Burrows.

Over the last several weeks, Bonnen and the unnamed Democrat were acting with the direct knowledge and approval of Burrows, according to a source with direct knowledge of the activity.

“I pray that Burrows apologizes to the Republican Caucus and the Democrat Chairman who allowed a registered lobbyist to surreptitiously watch every emergency Democrat Caucus meeting,” wrote Lozano. “This is a desperate, unprecedented, and unethical action taken by Team Burrows The House must take action.”

Lozano emphasized the gravity of the situation, calling it an “egregious breach of trust” and demanding accountability. 

“Do you know how utterly ignorant Burrows is and his foolish lobbyist supporters are?” he wrote. “People so stupid to think we would never find out about such an egregious breach of trust and not to mention the ethical implications.”

The speaker race pits Burrows against State Rep. David Cook, who has secured the backing of the Republican caucus as their nominee. Burrows has since attempted to build a coalition with Democrats to thwart the Republican majority.
 

2024 Conservative Leader Awards

Each year, the Conservative Leader Award recognizes the men and women of the grassroots who work to make the Lone Star State shine brighter than ever.

The award recipients are nominated by their peers—those who have seen them step up as citizen leaders in their neighborhoods and communities.

Here are the 2024 award recipients:

⚔️ Shilo Platts
 

Featured

Texans Pay $50,000 per Student at Government-run Schools

Texas taxpayers pay an average of more than $50,000 per pupil for the state’s government-run schools.

Vance Ginn, an economist who runs the Texas-based Vance Ginn Economic Consulting firm, highlighted Tuesday on X that when maintenance and operations (M&O) and debt service (I&S) taxes are combined with current levels of outstanding debt, the total per-pupil cost is $50,334.

The average private school tuition, meanwhile, is only $11,340 annually per pupil.

Read More

State

Ken Paxton Steps In to Stop ‘Show Hearing’ With Convicted Murderer in the Capitol
Robert Roberson was convicted of killing his two-year-old daughter, Nikki, in 2002 in Palestine, Texas.

Lawmakers to Examine University 'Governance' as Part of Expanding DEI Ban
Texas universities practice “shared governance” with woke faculty.

Speaker Battle Fuels Early 2026 Primary Challenges for Texas Republicans
The Republican Party of Texas has made clear it will seek to censure members who fail to vote for the party’s nominee for Speaker.
 

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Local

Legislation Filed to Abolish the Austin City Council
The legislation, if enacted, would create a state-run District of Austin.

Canyon ISD Parents Want Bibles Back in School Libraries
Superintendent Darryl Flusche told parents a new Texas law prohibiting sexually explicit books requires the district to remove the Bible.

Guatemalan Illegal Charged in Harris County for Trafficking and Sexually Assaulting a Child
Ruben Dario Visquerra Aguilar is currently being held under a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.
 

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Federal

AG Ken Paxton Files Motion To Stop Biden Administration From Auctioning Border Wall Segments
Paxton says the Biden administration would violate a federal court order if it sold sections of the wall purchased with funds to secure the border.

ICE Arrests Senegalese National Wanted for Murder, First Encountered in Eagle Pass
Gora Tourie Fall was first encountered in April 2021 but was released into the United States on parole.

Wells Fargo Exits Net-Zero Banking Alliance After Texas Probe Into Anti-Energy Policies
Attorney General Paxton has ended a review of the bank and allowed state governmental entities to do business with Wells Fargo again.
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