The Tea Party group sent out mailers under the name “Texas Ethics Disclosure Board” to attack state Rep. Charlie Geren. Now it’s asking a federal judge to shield it from state prosecutors’ possible investigations.
Jay Root
Jay Root is an award-winning journalist who reported for the Tribune from 2011 to 2020. He covered the dramatic collapse of Gov. Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign and went on to write an ebook about it called “Oops! A Diary from the 2012 Campaign Trail.” Root also broke the story that put the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, on the path toward criminal indictment, co-wrote an exposé that brought an end to privately funded prosecutions in Travis County, and authored a series of watchdog articles that prompted a wave of firings and resignations at two major state agencies.
In 2017, Root co-directed “Beyond The Wall,” a film exploring border politics in the age of Trump, which won a national Edward R. Murrow award for best news documentary. Root’s latest film, “Border Hustle,” was released in early 2019 and reveals how desperate migrants have become cash cows on both sides of the border.
Previously, for a dozen years, Root was Austin bureau chief of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he chronicled the rise of then-Gov. George W. Bush, wrote about cartel violence in Mexico and covered Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. During a three-year stint at the Associated Press, Root was twice named AP Staff Reporter of the Year for his watchdog reporting, including a story that sparked felony charges against a sitting state representative.
Posted in
Texas Elections 2018
It was a bad election night for Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas’ best-funded Tea Party group
Gov. Greg Abbott and the state’s top Tea Party group — Empower Texans — went hard after “squishy” Republicans who bucked the governor or strayed too far from the party orthodoxy. The effort mostly failed.
Posted in
Texas Elections 2018
Texas judicial candidate embraces Trump and hot-button issues while raking in out-of-state donations
Judicial races in Texas are typically low-key affairs, but in the GOP race for the 3rd Court of Appeals, Michael Toth is hitting the same themes you’d see in a race for Congress. Experts say it could be a sign of things to come.
Posted in
State Government
Prosecutors reviewing complaint against Empower Texans over attack ad resembling government notice
Legit advertisement or dirty campaign trick? That’s the question for Travis County prosecutors who are reviewing a criminal complaint against the influential conservative group Empower Texans. At issue: A mailer that looks like an official government notice targeting their top bête noire, state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth.
Posted in
State Government
Nine Texas Facilities Commission employees departed after reports of agency dysfunction
Uniformed officers and what appeared to be locksmiths were spotted at the agency’s Austin headquarters the day former Executive Director Harvey Hilderbran was fired in January.
Posted in
Texas Elections 2018
Texas Republicans getting almost 90 percent of money flowing into state elections
Donors pumped a total of $67 million into state-level campaigns from the beginning of 2017 through Jan. 25, and a whopping $57 million of it, or about 86 percent, went to GOP candidates, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. Gov. Greg Abbott got nearly a third of all the political money raised since the start of last year.
Posted in
State Government
George P. Bush’s secret mansion is financed by an undisclosed loan from Texas donor’s bank
When the land commissioner wanted to buy a West Austin house, he turned to a major donor’s bank for an $850,000 mortgage — then put it under the name of a family trust to keep his home address secret. Bush says death threats made the move necessary.
Posted in
State Government
Land commissioner says “doctored” audit critical of his agency’s management of the Alamo is under investigation
George P. Bush, whose agency took over running the iconic Texas landmark from the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in 2015, says a “doctored” audit led to the investigation — but won’t say how it was doctored.
Posted in
Texas Elections 2018
Anti-abortion group deletes state senator’s video after questions of legality raised
Did Sen. Bob Hall’s starring role in an ad “paid for by Texas Right to Life Committee, Inc.” violate campaign finance law? Depends on who you ask.
Posted in
State Government
After land office inks Harvey contract, Land Commissioner George P. Bush gets donations from contractor
The Texas General Land Office, led by Republican Land Commissioner George P. Bush, signed a contract with Horne LLP for Harvey disaster recovery services on Oct. 30, 2017. Three days later, Bush received $27,500 in campaign money from Horne executives.
