Good morning – 

The Texas Rangers have been called to investigate the June 12, 2019, meeting to which House Speaker Dennis Bonnen invited me. More on that at the end of today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Tuesday, August 13, 2019
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• A candidate for the chairmanship of the Republican Party of Texas is calling on House Speaker Dennis Bonnen to resign. Former Army Lt. Col. Allen West was asked about the controversy on the Chris Salcedo Show yesterday morning. Cary Cheshire has the story. 
      
• It is no secret that Texas’ Democrat Party wants to take back their former stronghold. If Texas had gone blue in 2016, Donald Trump would have lost and Hillary Clinton would have become president. Jordan Clements reports Democrats see an opportunity to seize Texas.
     
• Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price is the latest North Texas mayor to sign onto a letter calling for the U.S. Senate to pass stronger gun control laws. Robert Montoya has the details.
      
• The transgender debate, one of the most hotly contested issues in politics today, has come to a head in the Austin area in the form of “drag queen story hours.” Sam Samson reports concerns are being raised that include issues such as children’s safety from registered sex offenders and poor prioritization of taxpayer dollars.
   
• The city of McKinney is planning on raising taxes this year, reports Erin Anderson. During a meeting last week it was revealed the city’s administrative expenses would grow faster than any other spending category.

• Brandon Waltens reports: “State investigators with the Texas Rangers will begin investigating the backroom offer given by Speaker Dennis Bonnen and State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock) to Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan, after a Texas House committee officially referred the case.”
     
• That committee – the Texas House Committee on General Investigating – met yesterday morning and formally voted to ask the Texas Rangers’ public integrity unit to look into the matter.
   

• While I am disappointed Speaker Dennis Bonnen and State Rep. Dustin Burrows chose the course they did to deceive the public about our June 12 meeting, I’m glad the Texas House General Investigating Committee appears to be searching for the truth.
     

• I recorded the meeting to protect myself from Speaker Bonnen’s proven practice of using lies to attack his adversaries. It is abundantly obvious my decision to record our meeting was the correct one. I remain hopeful Mr. Bonnen will recant his false claims about me and the facts surrounding our meeting.