As the House Transparency Committee works to draft articles of impeachment against whistleblower UT Regent Wallace Hall for his efforts to uncover clout abuse by legislators at the system’s flagship campus, questions about the proceedings have made their way into the Lt. Governor’s runoff between David Dewhurst and Dan Patrick.
Asked about their thoughts on the impeachment proceedings during a recent debate in Salado, Lt. Gov. Dewhurst sidestepped the question, claiming his need to stay impartial as the president of the Texas Senate. If the House votes affirmatively to impeach Mr. Hall, the Senate would have the responsibility to hold a trial in order to remove him from office.
But recent communications between Dewhurst and UT Board of Regent member Alex Cranberg raised very serious concerns about Lt. Gov. Dewhurst’s ability to maintain that air of impartiality.
As reported by the Austin American Statesman, Sen. Patrick made the audience at the debate well aware of a text message Dewhurst sent to Regent Cranberg scolding him for role in criticizing UT President Bill Powers.
Meanwhile, A recent Watchdog.org report also reported a past text message originating from Dewhurst allegedly claiming he would “take the wood to Wallace Hall.”
In other words, Dewhurst is more than willing to make his opinion of Regent Hall’s criticisms of President Powers known in private circles. What he says publically is an entirely different story. Remember, this is the same Lt. Governor who very emotionally defended Powers on the Senate floor this past session, and sits with Powers in his luxury suite at the annual UT-OU Red River Shootout game.
Can taxpayers trust a Lt. Governor who in his own mind has seemingly convicted Mr. Hall of wrongdoing before a senate trial has even began? More importantly, can taxpayers trust Lt. Gov. Dewhurst to be impartial when he hides his true opinion of Mr. Hall from the public? It’s not the first time he’s made public declarations of future intentions, only to come up short on his promises.
