Texas Scorecard by Brandon Waltens | December 18, 2023
Witholding information in a state audit is a crime punishable by up to a year in jail.Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says House Speaker Dade Phelan is violating state law by withholding expenses to the state auditor in a review of the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
An audit of both chambers’ expenses was requested after the trial by Patrick.
So far, according to Patrick, the House has refused to provide those numbers.
“When the Texas House requests the State Auditor to audit a state agency, the Speaker expects that agency to respond to the State Auditor before or at the deadline. However, the Speaker apparently believes the rules don’t apply to him and the House when THEY are audited,” Patrick wrote in a social media post. “They ignored the submission deadline and, so far, have stiffed the State Auditor by withholding their impeachment spending totals. This is outrageous behavior. It is a crime punishable up to a year in jail under Texas Government Code Sec. 321.019 to not allow access to documents requested by the State Auditor pursuant to an audit.”
Indeed, the government code lists this kind of interference with audits as a class A misdemeanor.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/dan-patrick-asserts-dade-phelan-is-breaking-state-law/
