Texas Scorecard by Emily Medeiros November 28, 2023
Hidalgo is accused of using her elected office to participate in political advertising and misusing government property, services, and personnel.After the Texas Rangers began looking into tampering claims within Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office, the Rangers have now been referred to investigate another separate criminal complaint filed against her.
The complaint—obtained by The Texan—originated from a November 10 press conference held by Hidalgo after news broke that Texas Rangers opened a public corruption investigation into her office to locate “concealed” records concerning an $11 million COVID-19 vaccine outreach contract awarded to Elevate Strategies.
Hidalgo accused Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg of “abusing her powers” with the investigation. She also publicly announced that she spent the day before the press conference working on an endorsement for Ogg’s opponent, Sean Teare, calling him a “well-respected, very experienced, strong opponent.”
The press conference was held on county property and live-streamed on the official social media accounts of the county judge’s office.
According to the Texas Election Code, using an elected office to participate in political advertising is a Class A misdemeanor. Under the Penal Code, misuse of government property, services, personnel, or any other thing of value belonging to the government is considered an “Abuse of Official Capacity.”
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/local/harris-county-judge-lina-hidalgo-faces-another-investigation-by-texas-rangers/
