‘They will have to resign’: Lawmakers react to recording of meeting with House Speaker
Conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan has given Republican state lawmakers access to a recording of a meeting between two top House members and, after listening, members have said the audio supports the allegations raised, and one called on House leaders to resign.
Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, told radio show host Chad Hasty on Thursday morning that he had listened to the recording of a June 12 meeting between Sullivan, the CEO of the conservative political advocacy group Empower Texans, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, and GOP Caucus Chairman Dustin Burrows of Lubbock.
“I think both of them are dead politically,” Stickland said. “I think they will have to resign.”
Bonnen and Burrow’s offices did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Burrows has been silent on the issue since the allegations were raised last week. Late Wednesday night, Bonnen called on Sullivan to release the audio.
“Mr. Sullivan, release your recording. Release it in its entirety,” Bonnen said in a statement.
Stickland, who is not running for re-election and has been backed by Empower Texans, said the recording supports the allegations Sullivan first raised last week that access was offered in exchange for targeting a list of 10 Republican incumbents.
The list of Republican targets allegedly included Reps. Tan Parker of Flower Mound, Steve Allison of San Antonio, Trent Ashby of Lufkin, Ernest Bailes of Shepard, Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches, Drew Darby of San Angelo, Kyle Kacal and John Raney of College Station, Stan Lambert of Abilene, and Phil Stephenson of Wharton.
Empower Texans PAC has spent millions backing challengers to Republican incumbents that don’t align with the group’s views, including some Tarrant County lawmakers. Sullivan’s accusations come after Bonnen told reporters in May that House members who campaign against their colleagues in the upcoming elections would face repercussions.
Four days after the allegations were first raised, Bonnen publicly denied that a list of members was produced during the conversation.
“This vomiting of the mouth starts to happen to where you not just have Dustin Burrows doing it, but Dennis Bonnen is audibly giving names and commenting on individuals that are on the list as well,” Stickland said.
Stickland told Hasty that in addition to offering long sought-after House press credentials for writers from Texas Scorecard — Empower Texans’ news site — Bonnen also said he could strip credentials from Scott Braddock, the editor of the political insider newsletter Quorum Report.
Braddock, who spoke on air shortly after, told Hasty he would not comment until he heard the recording himself and plans to request to listen to it.
Braddock was banned from the Senate floor this past legislative session by Lt. Gov Dan Patrick. Meanwhile, two of Texas Scorecard’s writers were granted Senate credentials. The House Administration Committee — which is chaired by Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth — has the sole discretion to grant media credentials that allow members of the press to access the House floor.
Geren is being sued by Texas Scorecard for denying two of the site’s writers House media credentials earlier this year. The lawsuit, which was dismissed by a federal judge in May, is being appealed in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Geren said Wednesday he does not plan to listen to the recording, because he won’t be going to Austin anytime soon.
The audio, which has yet to be released to the public, is being selectively shared by Sullivan. On Twitter Thursday, Sullivan shared screenshots of multiple requests from journalists and the office of a Democratic state lawmaker, along with his answer: “No.”
In a post Wednesday, when Sullivan announced he had a recording of the meeting and threatened to release it if Bonnen and Burrows did not recant “false claims,” Sullivan invited Republican lawmakers and party leaders “who may feel they are impacted by the recording” to reach out to schedule a time to listen to it in the presence of Sullivan’s lawyer.
Lawmakers began listening to the recording that same day. Clardy, who is reportedly one the lawmakers on the list, told the Dallas Morning News that he listened to the audio and that it supported Sullivan’s account.
Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, tweeted Thursday that he agreed with Bonnen and other lawmakers’ calls for the recording to be released to the public. Moody was picked by Bonnen to serve as speaker pro tempore this session, the number two position in the House.
“Having all the evidence is always the best way to sort things out,” Moody wrote.
When pressed by Hasty, Stickland said he thinks the recording will ultimately be released to the public, although he worries how it may hurt the Republican Party of Texas as a whole.
“I think it’s ultimately going to come to that,” Stickland said of the audio being made public. “As a Republican who wants to keep Texas red in 2020, I sure hope it doesn’t come out because it’s going to hurt us bad. And we need to cut out the cancer and move on immediately.”
This story was originally published August 1, 2019 at 2:08 PM.
