'Tainted money': Democrats decry Bonnen's donations to Republicans in tough Texas House races
AUSTIN — In the final reporting period before Election Day, disgraced Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen spent $390,000 through his political action committee to help 12 Republican candidates in competitive races.
That sum is by far the largest expenditure by his political action committee, Texas Leads, and includes contributions to six Republican House incumbents, state Sen. Pete Flores of Pleasanton and five GOP candidates fighting for seats that are either open or held by Democrats.
Several North Texans are among Bonnen’s beneficiaries, including State Reps. Angie Chen Button of Dallas; Jeff Leach and Matt Shaheen of Plano; and Craig Goldman of Fort Worth. Bonnen also helped GOP challengers Kronda Thimesch and former state Rep. Linda Koop.
Bonnen, who did not seek another term after a secret recording revealed he was targeting some fellow Republicans in this year’s election, did not respond to a request for comment. The recordings also revealed he was deriding local government officials behind closed doors and working to oust Democratic incumbents just two weeks after warning House members that they would be punished for campaigning against sitting members.
Texas Democrats pounced on the contributions, characterizing them as a last-minute effort to funnel money to candidates in tough races while avoiding public scrutiny.
“Dennis Bonnen is the most disgraced Texas Speaker in the last century,” said Abhi Rahman, spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party. “That money is tainted money and it’s a reminder of Republicans who continue to put the pursuit of power over everything. Democrats will win in a majority of these seats because we are looking out for our communities, not ourselves.”
The political donations were disclosed in the reports the Texas Ethics Commission requires candidates to file eight days before an election, which were made public Tuesday on the commission’s website.
Bonnen started the Texas Leads PAC in July 2019 with $3 million from his campaign in an effort to keep a Republican majority in the Texas House. But when Bonnen announced last October he would not seek re-election after mounting pressure to resign from his fellow lawmakers, it left the question of what to do with the money.
Republican candidates could use it to fight off tough challenges, but they would be inevitably criticized for its source.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2020/10/27/tainted-money-democrats-decry-bonnens-donations-to-republicans-in-tough-texas-house-races/
