TX Lt. Gov. Calls For ‘Damaging’ Tape To Be Released: ‘Transparency Is Key’

HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 15: Texas Lt. Govenor Dan Patrick speaks at a watch party for Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on March 15, 2016 in Houston, Texas. Cruz is in a tight race with Donald Trum... HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 15: Texas Lt. Govenor Dan Patrick speaks at a watch party for Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on March 15, 2016 in Houston, Texas. Cruz is in a tight race with Donald Trump in the Missouri GOP primary, while Trump took Florida, North Carolina, and Illinois. Gov. John Kasich won his home state of Ohio. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick weighed in on the secretly recorded meeting debacle Monday, saying that “everyone needs to hear the tape” and to let House Speaker Dennis Bonnen’s fate “fall where it does.”

The recording, made by right-wing activist Michael Sullivan, allegedly captured  Bonnen and former Republican caucus chairman Dustin Burrows, who stepped down Friday amid the scandal, discussing a trade of press credentials for Sullivan’s quasi-news site in exchange for him supporting primary challenges to 10 Republicans with his formidable super PAC.

Bonnen has called for the tape’s release. Other Republicans who have heard the recording have vehemently insisted that it not be made public, calling it “damaging” to the party.

“Dennis has asked for tape to be released — put it out there and let people, House members, decide — I think it’s fair since he asked for it to be released, since he’s been accused of things on the tape, to let the public hear it,” Patrick said on the Mark Davis radio show. “Transparency is important in these things .”

“I really think everyone needs to hear the tape and make that decision and let it fall where it does,” he continued. “If it exonerates him and members say they’re fine to move on, move on. And if it doesn’t and they go in a different direction, that’s their choice.”

“They gotta get this resolved, sooner they do the better,” he concluded. “Transparency is the key, I think, all the way around.”

Listen here:

Latest News
81
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. It’s almost like all the wingnuts are having huge pie fights if the pies were the norms that used to help the society function and none of the pie recipients had even faux dignity so it’s more sad than funny, this pie fight. : (

  2. Avatar for edhedh edhedh says:

    i think the texas gops should go full-on coverup. stay with the tried and not so true.

  3. Someone replaced half the Scrabble tiles with blanks. The further along we get the players are having a hard time coming up with words that make any sense at all. This game is going to end with a lot of dumb shits with names like Pence and Barr holding hands full of tiles that have absolutely no value at all. History will score every last one of them as colossal losers.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

75 more replies

Participants

Avatar for dr_coyote Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for meri Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for sniffit Avatar for sickneffintired Avatar for sparrowhawk Avatar for mike_in_houston Avatar for thomasmatthew Avatar for pshah Avatar for tena Avatar for texastwostep Avatar for morrigan_2575 Avatar for castor_troy Avatar for not_so_fluffy Avatar for justruss Avatar for yolomike Avatar for kenga Avatar for nightshadow Avatar for occamscoin Avatar for txlawyer Avatar for rucleare Avatar for n_b

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: