Gov. Greg Abbott has announced his endorsement of State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock), despite an ongoing investigation into the lawmaker by the Texas Rangers Public Integrity Unit.
In a press release Thursday morning, Abbott said he was proud to endorse Burrows and thanked him for his “strong leadership in the Texas House.”
“Representative Burrows is a servant leader who puts the needs of his constituents first,” said Abbott, “And I look forward to continuing our important work together as we create an even brighter future for the state of Texas.”
The endorsement, however, comes at a time that is all but bright for Burrows.
Last week, the Texas House General Investigating Committee recommended the Texas Rangers begin investigating potential criminal behavior stemming from a meeting with House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan, in which Bonnen made a quid pro quo offer of House media credentials in exchange for certain political activity. Burrows was in attendance at the meeting and listed off Republican lawmakers deemed eligible for political targeting.
While the investigation is ongoing, Burrows was soon forced to resign his position as chair of the House Republican Caucus.
For his part, however, Abbott has all but ignored the scandal. When asked about it during a townhall last week, Abbott told attendees, “What is happening now is the best thing that could happen—and that’s getting the Texas Rangers involved. We need to get to the bottom of this and get to the bottom of this quickly.”
That statement, however, now seemingly rings dissonant as Abbott has issued this endorsement of Burrows with nary a mention of the ongoing investigation.
David Speer, an educator at New Deal ISD, is currently the only declared challenger to Burrows in the Republican primary.
