Just before noon Friday, a West Texas radio host indicated sources close to Lubbock State Rep. Dustin Burrows revealed that the embattled lawmaker had resigned his post as chairman of the Texas House Republican Caucus.

Chad Hasty, host of the The Chad Hasty Show on Lubbock’s KFYO, broke the news on Twitter.

When contacted immediately by Texas Scorecard for comment, Burrows’ office could not confirm at the time of this article’s publishing whether Burrows had, in fact, resigned from the post. House Speaker Dennis Bonnen has, however, confirmed Burrows’ resignation to other news sources.

Burrows played a pivotal role in the confirmed meeting between Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan, which sparked a statewide media firestorm earlier this summer.

Several lawmakers and Republican Party of Texas officials who have heard a recording of the meeting have corroborated virtually every detail as described by Sullivan when he revealed the corrupt and unethical nature of the meeting. Burrows, according to Sullivan and several individuals who have issued public statements since hearing the recording, helped Bonnen reveal a list of lawmakers for Sullivan to quietly target in exchange for giving Texas Scorecard House media credentials ahead of the 87th Legislature set to gavel in January 2021.

Since the story broke, several of Burrows’ GOP colleagues have called for the speaker’s resignation, and many more have issued statements calling the behavior by Bonnen and Burrows “disgusting” and “disappointing.”

Following Burrows’ resignation as Chairman, Fort Worth Republican State Rep. Stephanie Klick has confirmed with a North Texas news outlet she has assumed the role of Chairman of the caucus and expects the members to fill her, now vacant, role as vice chair according to House Republican Caucus rules.

This is a developing story and has been updated since its initial publication.

Destin Sensky

Destin Sensky serves as a Capitol Correspondent for Texas Scorecard covering the Texas Legislature, working to bring Texans the honest and accurate coverage they need to hold their elected officials in Austin accountable.

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