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Good morning!

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

EXCLUSIVE

Texas Lottery Commission Calls in FBI Amid Explosive Allegations

• The Texas Lottery Commission has referred a high-profile investigation into alleged fraud and criminal activity surrounding the state lottery to the Federal Bureau of Investigation following a detailed complaint and mounting public scrutiny. Daniel Greer reveals a document senior lottery officials have tried to keep hidden from the public.
     
• The report details years of alleged criminal conduct by principals of Lottery.com—a so-called lottery courier company—and former Lottery Commission Executive Director Gary Grief. After reviewing the complaint, the commission’s own Enforcement Division determined that the seriousness of the allegations warranted referral to federal law enforcement.
      
• This revelation changes the dynamics and the stakes of the previously disclosed, Texas-based investigations of the agency, its operations, and potentially the people who approved of the lottery’s non-legislated expansionary tactics.
       
• The FBI’s involvement raises the question of how state elected officials will react. Gov. Greg Abbott’s office did not respond when asked if it was aware of the TLC’s referral to the FBI.

State Affairs Chairman Confronted Over GOP Priorities

• While laying out a utility-related bill on the House floor, State Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) faced pointed criticism from one of his colleagues over the fate of stalled Republican priorities. As Brandon Waltens reports, State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) took the opportunity to publicly confront King.
   
• Tinderholt asked King a series of questions as if the utility bill was somehow related to conservative priorities. When King said it was not, Tinderholt chastised him for keeping those measures "locked up in your committee."
     
• State Rep. Brent Money (R-Greenville) recently told Texas Scorecard he was informed by King specifically that taxpayer-funded lobbying legislation would not receive a hearing.
      
• Despite calls from grassroots activists and fellow lawmakers to advance conservative reforms, King has not held hearings on them in his committee. His office did not respond to a request for comment.

Speaker Burrows Fires Senior Staffer

• House Speaker Dustin Burrows fired his general counsel and policy director this week, reportedly having the man escorted from the Texas Capitol by law enforcement officials. The speaker's office confirmed the dismissal but not the details surrounding it.
         
• According to Capitol sources, Jimmy Skipton IV was accused of directing committee chairmen to move or kill certain pieces of legislation under the guise of direction from Speaker Burrows. Instead, he was allegedly doing so to benefit his wife, Carrie Simmons, a prominent Austin lobbyist for the firm of Texas Lobby Partners. That firm is headlined by Mike Toomey, a longtime associate of Texans for Lawsuit Reform.
       
• Lawmakers have said in recent weeks that Skipton had become increasingly hostile to their staff, with one source describing him as “demanding and disrespectful.”
      
• Skipton was reportedly confronted about the issue and presented with evidence during a meeting with Speaker Burrows on Monday before being fired.

Attorney General Ken Paxton Targets Chinese Companies

• Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued formal warnings to several major Chinese-owned companies, accusing them of violating the privacy rights of Texas residents. Sydnie Henry reports that the companies include TP-Link, Alibaba, and CapCut.
      
• The companies, identified as being aligned with the Chinese Communist Party, have been given thirty days to comply with the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act. The law, which took effect in July 2024, establishes strict requirements for companies handling the personal data of Texas residents.
      
• "I have notified several Chinese-owned companies that they must stop violating Texas’s privacy laws and protect Texans’ data from falling into the hands of the CCP. Failure to do so will be met with the full force of my office." – Ken Paxton

Texas Rangers Arrest Bosque County Tax Assessor-Collector

• As Ian Camacho reports, Bosque County's tax assessor-collector has been arrested by the Texas Rangers for allegedly seeking to influence the property appraisal of someone who campaigned against her.
      
• The claims against Arlene Swiney were brought by Bosque Central Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Chris Moser. While Moser has declined to comment on the ongoing investigation, he has said that the property owner is “a very prominent Bosque County landowner.”
       
• Swiney has held office since 2010.

Students Arrested During Anti-Israel Protests Sue UT-Austin

• Adam Cahn reports that four UT-Austin students arrested during 2024’s anti-Israel “protests” have sued the university and Gov. Greg Abbott in federal court, alleging the university violated their First Amendment rights. The plaintiffs are represented by the Muslim Legal Fund of America and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

Quote-Unquote

"The Allied armies, through sacrifice and devotion and with God's help, have wrung from Germany a final and unconditional surrender."

– Dwight D. Eisenhower​

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