Remember freezing February at election time

By Tom "Smitty" Smith for the Dallas Morning News 

Opinion piece urges consumers to hold officials accountable for failure to require power plant weatherization.

Read Smitty's op-ed.

The Old Green Deal: Oil & Gas Industry Abbott's Top Political Donor

Following Gov. Abbott's attempts to blame recent catastrophic power failures on renewable energy, TPJ finds that the oil and gas industry is Abbott's No. 1 contributor. It supplied 19 percent of the $87.3 million that Abbott raised since January 2017. Electric utility interests contributed more than $1 million more, with contributors who specialize in renewable power supplying just a trickle of that money.

Track this fundraising grid at the new Lobby Watch.

Revolving door spins at Abbott's office

Asher Price reports at the Austin American-Statesman on how a top Abbott aide became one of Texas' highest paid lobbyists. 

Read Asher's article at the Statesman. 

Governor Abbott Never Stops Fundraising

The Associated Press' Paul Weber reports that Governor Greg Abbott has taken in $120 million in campaign cash, more than any governor in U.S. history.

Read the complete story at the AP. 

Abbott attacks fellow Republicans for pushing ethics reforms

Texas Tribune:  Abbott builds on six-figure push to unseat GOP Rep. Sarah Davis.

Read full story at the Texas Tribune, and
Ross Ramsey column on Abbott attacking his own.

Gov. Abbott’s appointees have given him more than $14 million

An investigation into 'pay-to-play' at the Governor's office reveals that individuals appointed by Abbott to government positions have donated over $14 million to his campaign war chest.


Read the story by Peggy Fikac and Annie Millerbernd at the Houston Chronicle. (paywall)

In Harvey's wake, critics see big money behind lax reporting

From the Texas Tribune:

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, an exploding chemical plant and spikes in cancer-causing emissions are highlighting how little the public knows about potential dangers from the oil and chemical industries. Critics say one reason for the darkness: tons of campaign money.

Read full article at the Texas Tribune.
Read TPJ's report Running on Hydrocarbons.

Lobby Watch: A Special Session Built for Special Interests

Six of Gov. Abbott's 20 stated reasons for convening this special session would override local governments to benefit construction and development interests. Those same two industries have given Abbott $10.7 million, or 15 cents of every gubernatorial dollar that he raised. 

Read More as Lobby Watch digs into who wants to bulldoze city hall.

Lobby Watch: Gold Deposits Contractor Paid Tribute to the King.

Heads of the Austin company that won a state contract to build a gold depository did not contribute to state candidates before Gov. Abbott signed the bill creating the Texas Bullion Depository. Between that signing and Comptroller Glenn Hegar's recent awarding of the depository contract, three Lone Star Tangible Assets leaders made coordinated contributions to deliver a total of $21,500 to Hegar and Abbott. 

Lobby Watch mines the next gilded age.

Lawmakers Rub Out Emergency Ethics Reforms - TPJ, Public Citizen Statement

Gov. Abbott's "Emergency" 
Goes Unheeded - Again!

For the second legislative session in a row, lawmakers largely ignored Gov. Greg Abbott's emergency call for ethics reform.

See the fate of 10 Key Reform Bills and TPJ's reaction.

Lobby Watch: Abbott Mega-Donor's Oncor Deal

Texas Public Utility Commissioners are vetting a controversial $17 billion tax-shelter plan to take over Oncor Electric. The commissioners have two gubernatorial constituents to consider in the case. Ex-Gov. Perry, who appointed them, has blasted the proposal. Gov. Abbott, who reappointed the chair, has not taken a public position on the deal to benefit one of his top contributors.

The $550,000 that Dallas billionaire Ray Hunt has given Abbott just since he announced his gubernatorial bid far outstrips what Hunt gave Perry throughout Perry's 13-year gubernatorial reign.
Follow the Hunt-Abbott money trail in Lobby Watch.

Lobby Watch: Deloitte Adroit at Funding Greg Abbott

A recent hearing on the Attorney General's disastrous child-support software traced substantial blame to Deloitte Consulting. An expert testified that then-AG Abbott hired Deloitte to design the project and that that design seemed to be designed to fail. 

Deloitte also steered more campaign cash to Abbott than any other Texas politician. It delivered almost half that money in a same-day bundle in 2014.  If only AG child-support payments were that smooth and coordinated! 

Lobby Watch looks at Deloitte's sugar daddy.

Abbott & Lege doom ethics reform

Legislators thumbed their noses at Abbott's ethics emergency. The legislature put a few band-aids on gaping wounds and then passed bills that make the wounds deeper.   They buried two of Abbott's three modest priorities, either with his behind-the-scenes help or his indifference.  
Read the joint press statement from Public Citizen and TPJ.

Watch Your Assets Report:Abbott Confronts Contracting Crisis

The contracting reforms that Gov. Greg Abbott issued in January appear to have had such limited impact that they probably would not have prevented the 21CT scandal that prompted them. Public-Information records from 13 state agencies suggest that such policies already were in place at many agencies, according to TPJ’s new report.
Read the new Watch Your Assets report.

Post-Perry Corruption OP-ED in Austin Statesman

Austin American-Statesman

By Craig McDonald and Andrew Wheat

Cronyism and entitlement flourish when one political party controls every statewide office for 20 years. Indicted former Gov. Rick Perry created the ultimate crony-corrupt state. He rewarded political supporters with appointments, no-bid contracts and huge handouts from the public purse. The few people who stood up to this corruption notably don’t include Texas’ new leaders. 

Read the full op-ed.

Statesman Challenges Abbott Position on Hecht Ethic's Fine

In his response to the lawsuit filed by TPJ urging the Travis County District Court to take action to compel Attorney General Abbott to pursue the $29,000 Ethic's fine levied against Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht, Abbott claims it's not his legal responsibility to pursue the case. Today's article by Chuck Lindell exposes Abbott's response for the BS it is.

Read today's American-Statesman article by Chuck Lindell.

Read TPJ's press release on it's October 15 lawsuit.

Abbott Clobbers Davis in Race for Payday Lender Money

Predatory-lending interests have given $402,959 to Gregg Abbott and $10,500 to Wendy Davis since 2009. According to the most recent disclosure reports, payday interests have given Abbott $130,222 in 2014 while making no contributions to Davis.

Read TPJ's full analysis of predatory-lender contributions.

TPJ Files Suit to Force Abbott to Pursue Ethics Case Against Justice Hecht

TPJ has filed a motion in Travis County court to compel Attorney General Abbott- or a court-ordered replacement-to pursue a long-slumbering case involving a $29,000 ethics fine against Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht.

Read TPJ's media release.
Read TPJ's court filing.
View a Abbott-Hecht case timeline.
View Ethics Commission Dec. 2008 order against Justice Hecht.

DMN: Abbott relies on mega-donors

Christy Hoppe: Greg Abbott has far more big-dollar donors than Wendy Davis
Democrat Wendy Davis has had to reach out to many more contributors.

Lobby Watch: New Big Donor Compounds Greg Abbott’s Drug Problems

The $350,000 that Richie Ray recently gave to Abbott transformed a relatively obscure compounding pharmacist into one of the top funders of Texas' gubernatorial race. Abbott has been deeply involved in two controversies surrounding Ray's lightly regulated industry. The attorney general wields enforcement powers over compounders who supplied patients with fatally infected drugs. Meanwhile, different divisions of Abbott's office have taken conflicting positions on whether or not Texas must identify compounders who supply pentobarbital for state executions.

Lobby Watch explores the new big donor compounding Abbott's drug problems.