Good morning!

What were you doing a year ago today? I bet you weren’t raising money with and for liberal Democrats, like the Republican speaker of the Texas House was… That, and more, in today’s Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan
Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022 

Texas RNC Committeewoman Ignores State Party

• Texas’ Republican National Committeewoman, Toni Anne Dashiell, seems poised to defy the Texas GOP. She is supporting the re-election of RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, despite intense opposition from the party’s grassroots leadership. Brandon Waltens has the details.
      
• Each state has three members on the Republican National Committee: a committeeman, a committeewoman, and the state party chair. Texas’ committeeman is Dr. Robin Armstrong, who has endorsed Harmeet Dhillon. Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi has also endorsed Dhillon.
       
• The State Republican Executive Committee—the Texas GOP’s governing board—unanimously approved a resolution calling for new leadership in the national party. The SREC resolution specifically noted the RNC’s “deficiencies in fundraising, messaging, [get out the vote efforts], and election integrity.”
      
• Dashiell is undeterred by the in-state opposition to McDaniel, saying the incumbent is “essential to the GOP’s future success.”
      
• The election for the RNC chair will be held in January. In addition to Dhillon, McDaniel is being challenged by the founder of MyPillow, Mike Lindell.

Investigation: Unaccountable Spending By Texas Military Department

• When Gov. Greg Abbott turned to the state’s military to conduct a border security operation, multiple problems emerged that exposed how far the state agency had been allowed to decay by state public officials. As Robert Montoya finds in an exclusive Texas Scorecard investigation, these were problems the taxpayers have been billed to fix.
     
• While “Operation Lone Star” has garnered headlines and Fox News appearances, as time went on, the Texas Military Department struggled in their attempts to execute Abbott’s operation, and soldiers suffered for it.
       
• As TMD’s requests for more and more piled up, Gov. Greg Abbott began putting the brakes on their spending.
     
• “For too long, state lawmakers have allowed a long leash to TMD with very little accountability,” said Jeramy Kitchen, the executive director of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, after reviewing documents uncovered by Texas Scorecard. “State lawmakers should demand accountability in the interest of taxpayers.”
      
• Later today, a third installment in this series will examine the walls built by the state military to block transparency and accountability.

Democrats Want To Legalize All Abortion

• Texas Democrats want “pregnant people” to be able to have abortions up to 70 days in the womb, up from the current 49-day restriction. Soli Rice reports Democrats also want to remove references to “unborn child” in state law and replaces it with “embryo or fetus.”
       
• “We are already seeing extremely radical pro-abortion legislation filed by various legislators to repeal or add exceptions to our life-saving laws, and to expand access to dangerous abortion-inducing drugs in our state,” said Rebecca Parma, senior legislative associate at Texas Right to Life.

📺 WATCH: A Conversation With Chandler Crouch

• By helping his neighbors protest their property taxes, Tarrant County real estate broker Chandler Crouch drew a target on his chest. For his steadfast devotion to fighting despite the odds, Crouch was recently honored at the Conservative Leader Awards dinner with a Torch of Freedom.

Texas DEMs Won’t Rule Out Busting Quorum Again…

• Yes, these are the same Democrats that the Texas House Republican Caucus members seem intent on allowing to chair committees…
   
• In a recent interview with a liberal news organization, San Antonio State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, the newly elected chairman of the House Democrat Caucus, said he thought the party’s 2021 quorum-busting effort was successful in watering down the election integrity legislation. Brandon Waltens has more.
      
• Of course, they will continue to be obstructionists. They suffered no penalties. Not only did House Speaker Dade Phelan refuse to punish any of them, but he also…

FLASHBACK: Phelan Raising Money With Democrats

• One year ago today, most conservatives weren’t spending their time raising money with liberal Democrats… but that is what Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan was doing on Dec. 15, 2021.
       
• In fact, Phelan took to social media bragging about his attendance at a fundraiser event with quorum-busting Democrats in the Rio Grande Valley. Just one mile away, the Republican National Committee was hosting a campaign fundraising event, which the Republican House speaker skipped. 
       
• Phelan helpfully posted pictures of himself from that evening with Democrat State Reps. Terry Canales, Sergio Munoz Jr., Oscar Longoria, Armando Martinez, and Bobby Guerra. They were all part of the Democrats’ quorum-busting efforts that summer and fall designed to obstruct the passage of election integrity legislation.
      
• As an aside, Rep. Canales was – and remains – the chairman of the highly influential House Committee on Transportation, a position to which Phelan appointed him.
      
• When Republican legislators demand that you exclusively support the GOP ticket, ask them why that doesn’t apply to their Republican House Speaker….

Bar to Host Kids’ Christmas Party Featuring Drag Queens

• The Little Darlin’ Bar in Austin is hosting a Christmas party for kids… and featuring a drag show. If you can stomach it, Soli Rice has the background.
      
• “Don’t let the sound of this bar fool you: The Little Darlin’ is a smut bar, and no God-fearing, family loving parent should ever dawn the doorsteps from this day forward,” said Chris Hopper, the president of Texas Family Project.
      
• Nothing screams “child abuse” like taking a minor to a bar for a Christmas drag show.

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