Good morning! 

Here is the first Texas Minute of October.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Tuesday, October 1, 2019
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• In a video he shared on social media, President Donald Trump correctly described the impeachment proceedings being launched by Democrats as happening because “we’re fighting to drain the swamp.”
      
• “They are trying to stop me because I am fighting for you.” – President Trump
     
• A Texas congresswoman’s son is facing public scrutiny for his mismanagement of a tax-funded flood control and real estate redevelopment project—and now his recently obtained resume shows he lacked any relevant education or work experience prior to overseeing the $1.168 billion endeavor. Robert Montoya has the details about trouble being caused for taxpayers by U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) and her son, J.D. Granger.
      
• Apparently “son of establishment member of Congress” is the most important qualification when it comes to a job entailing cronyism and wasteful government spending. 
      
• Thanks to his mom, J.D. Granger heads the Trinity River Vision Authority, a shadowy government agency in Tarrant County that was given millions of federal taxpayer dollars during the Obama years. Fortunately, the Trump Administration has put a halt on further federal spending on this boondoggle.
      
• In 2006 the entire project was supposed to cost $435 million – for bridges and the diversion of the Trinity River to create a new economic development zone. Nearly $400 million of the taxpayers’ money has now been spent with nothing to show for it except new cost estimates of more than $1 billion. 
     
• A recent independent review ordered by several government agencies has found administrative bloat in TRVA’s annual budget, including more than $220,000 for public relations propaganda spending. That same review found J.D. Granger had colluded with Trinity River Water District’s Executive Director Jim Oliver to keep board members in the dark.
      
• An embarrassment to Republicans and taxpayers in Texas, Rep. Granger should resign and her son should be canned from the project.

• Mac Thornberry makes #6. The north Texas Republican announced yesterday he won’t seek re-election to the U.S. House. He has served in Congress since 1995. The other five GOP members of Texas’ congressional delegation not seeking re-election include Pete Olson, Mike Conaway, Will Hurd, Kenny Marchant, and Bill Flores.
      
• A corrupt Rio Grande Valley judge is headed to federal prison following his sentencing this week in a long-brewing bribery scandal. David Vasquez reports former Hidalgo County District Judge Rodolfo “Rudy” Delgado (D) will serve five years behind bars after being found guilty of several bribery and corruption charges in June. The sentence is half the maximum possible sentence of 10 years for the convictions.