Greg Abbott, CPRIT & Favors for Friends

[TexasTowelie]

Greg Abbott looked the other way while key donors bilked Texas cancer research agency



For voters, it seemed to make sense for the State Attorney General, our top civil law enforcement official, to sit on the board of the newly created Cancer Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The promise of new and innovative treatments for cancer was clearly a worthwhile state expenditure, but accountability would be needed. With millions of tax dollars flowing through the agency to private companies, a State official with law enforcement responsibilities diligently conducting oversight would deter improper activity and, if improprieties occurred, could move quickly to investigate and prosecute.

So much for reasonable expectations. It turns out that Texas AG Greg Abbott sitting on the oversight board was a green light rather than a caution sign to many of these key donors. Businesses backed by Abbott contributors - many of whom are partisan Republicans - have received large grants and contracts from CPRIT without fear of any oversight at all.

As a result, CPRIT is now embroiled in controversy. The Dallas Morning News and other Texas news outlets have exposed millions of dollars going to companies that received poor reviews and, in one instance, receiving grants without any review at all. (Dallas Morning News 11/19/2012) (Dallas Morning News 5/31/2013).

Since the awarding of these grants, several CPRIT officials have resigned and elected officials blocked the troubled cancer agency from funding any more commercialization projects. (Dallas Morning News 5/11/2013)

More at http://www.lonestarproject.net/greg-abbott-cprit-favors-friends#.Ue3KH237aJo .