In a new video endorsing conservative challenger Bryan Slaton, State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R–Deer Park) pulls back the curtain on the behind-the-scenes obstruction perpetrated by his colleague State Rep. Dan Flynn (R–Van).
Cain begins the two-minute clip by acknowledging the taboo of incumbent members discussing legislative proceedings with the public:
It is at great risk that I tell you this story. There is an unwritten rule among the political elite that a fellow incumbent should never discuss what goes on behind the scenes, especially if it involves a senior member. But like President Trump, I was not elected to ‘go along to get along.’ I was elected to help drain the swamp.
In the video, Cain explains that, as a member of the Texas State Guard along with Flynn, he was asked by the Texas Military Department to file House Bill 1912, which would have allowed the Governor to award a “Medal for the Defense of Freedom” to civilians killed during the massacre at Fort Hood. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Defense and Veterans Affairs, a committee vice-chaired by Flynn on which Cain also serves.
When the bill was not set for a hearing, Cain says he confronted Flynn about why it was being delayed:
After a few weeks of wondering why the bill had not been set to be heard in my own committee, I asked Vice-Chairman Dan Flynn to help. He told me the bill was not going to be heard. That I had offended his Speaker and that I needed to learn to sit down and shut up.
The bill eventually passed out of the committee in the final days of session, too late to be considered by the full body with the support of every member of the committee except for Flynn. The companion bill passed unanimously out of the Senate but it too failed to receive a hearing in the House.
Flynn and Slaton are facing off in a rematch election on March 6th, after Slaton was narrowly bested by Flynn in 2016. Since then, Flynn’s conservative record has continued to trend downwards, earning a 49 on the most recent Fiscal Responsibility Index.
