Despite currently being investigated by the Texas Rangers Public Integrity Unit, Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen is trying to woo lobbyists and high-dollar donors with an upcoming fundraising dinner.
The price for dinner with Bonnen? $10,000 a plate.
In the invitation for the event, which is scheduled to take place on September 30 in Lake Jackson, Bonnen invites potential donors to an “exclusive” event, sweetening the deal even further by promising attendees a steak dinner. And not just any steak dinner—a “five course Wagyu dinner.”
Those 20 individuals who shell out the $10,000 admission fee are also invited to join Bonnen for breakfast the next morning at a local hotel.
While lavish and pricey fundraisers are not uncommon in politics, the timing is particularly notable, given the ongoing scandal in which Bonnen made a quid pro quo offer of media credentials to Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan in exchange for the political targeting of certain Republican House members.
That has since turned into to a full-blown investigation by the Texas Rangers.
But despite calls from some lawmakers for his resignation and building animosity within the House Republican Caucus, Bonnen has thus far shown no signs he is ready to hang it up anytime soon. And with many lobbyists and donors usually friendly to incumbent House leadership reportedly employing a “wait and see” approach, it will no doubt be of interest to see who chooses to drop $10,000 on dinner with the speaker.
Perhaps the steak is just that good.
