A Travis County Grand Jury today announced it did not have sufficient evidence to indict UT Regent and whistleblower Wallace Hall on any charges regarding his investigations of clout abuse and malfeasance at the University of Texas.
Following the announcement from the jury, Hall broke his silence saying, “The campaign by Speaker Straus, Representative Flynn and Senator Seliger to criminalize my service as a Regent constitutes abuse of office. Their use of the levers of political power to cover up wrongdoing by legislators should now be investigated, and those exposed for their abuses should be driven from office.”
Hall is right.
As previously reported, an independent investigation by Kroll Associates revealed the corruption at UT-Austin was in fact worse than most expected and in no way stops at the office of UT President Bill Powers.
Hall uncovered a clout-abuse scheme in which all roads lead to House Speaker Joe Straus and his cronies causing lawmakers to immediately jump into defense mode.
Using every resource at their disposal to attack and discredit the regent, the House formed the Orwellian House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations chaired by State Reps. Dan Flynn (R – Canton) and Carol Alvarado (D – Houston). When the committee failed to produce sufficient evidence to impeach Hall they referred the matter to the Travis County District Attorney’s office lead by disgraced Democrat Rosemary Lehmberg.
With every attack Hall has been repeatedly vindicated, and the University of Texas drug further into a scandal perpetuated by its leadership and the leadership of the Texas House.
Will House members stand behind a clearly implicit Speaker, or will they step up and stand against the corruption that continues to envelop the House and the University of Texas?
