“[Dennis] Bonnen, who is coming off a first session as speaker marked with House unity and major policy wins, has denied [Empower Texans’ Michael Quinn] Sullivan’s characterization of the meeting. In a statement released Monday, Bonnen said that “at no point in our conversation was Sullivan provided with a list of target Members.” Burrows, who chairs the House GOP Caucus, has remained silent since Sullivan first published his allegations last week,” reported the Texas Tribune.
But to the political press that didn’t matter much because most of the political press no longer seeks to keep the powerful honest, but instead seeks to be part of Austin’s insider power crowd.
By Tuesday much of the state’s commenting political press was doing what they normally do and insinuating that Sullivan, the hated-by-insiders conservative activist, was lying because he had no evidence to support his claim. Clearly Speaker Bonnen had no evidence either and had made clear that only other witness, Dustin Burrows, was to remain quiet at the Speaker’ request. But to the political press that didn’t matter much because most of the political press no longer seeks to keep the powerful honest, but instead seeks to be part of Austin’s insider power crowd.
Speaker Dennis Bonnen
Now egg is on their faces as Sullivan, after having been implied to be a liar by many and essentially called a liar by Speaker Bonnen, announced that he recorded the meeting and has made the audio available to members of the Legislature.
Representative Steve Toth told the Texas Tribune, after having heard the recording “clearly, a list was referenced, over and over and over again. Multiple times.” “Honestly, I was caught off guard,” said Toth. “I have been a supporter of the speaker since day one. I love Dennis. I didn’t believe any of this. I was shocked. I am discouraged to see the light it put him in and the light it put on the Republican Party,” he added.
Dennis Bonnen had already proven himself to me to be a man whose word was not worth much and now we know my trivial experience wasn’t an outlier as I’d hoped. Instead we know Speaker Bonnen to be a liar and willing to attempt to ruin others with his deceitfulness.
UPDATE: He’s STILL lying in a self-serving way: “I was stupid to take a meeting with an individual who has worked hard to divide our House,” Bonnen…” He REQUESTED the meeting to offer HIS deal! “Take a meeting,” come on.
Bonnen pledged to support Tan Parker as Speaker before getting in bed with House Democrats and promising Chairmanships and other high-ranking positions and then turning against Tan at the 11th hour. He deserves to go down in flames because of his character and disloyalty, sooner rather than later, and I hope he takes down the rest of the Rhinos as well…