House Leaders Haven't Told Colleagues
that Staffer's Drugging Claims Were Lie

Capitol Inside
May 3, 2021

A significant number of Texas House members admitted on Monday that they were unaware that a female staffer had fabricated a tale about a happy hour drugging by a lobbyist at the Austin Club last month.

But GOP Speaker Dade Phelan and other high-ranking House Republicans who'd publicly perpetuated the House aide's wildly unbelievable allegations took no apparent steps today to set the record straight by making sure the entire body knew that the claims had been discredited by state and local law enforcement authorities last week.

Phelan appeared to be buying into the claims in a personal privilege on the chamber floor one week ago when he expressed outrage over a Capitol culture awash in sleasy behavior that the accuser had exposed by having the courage to go to the police. The speaker's two most powerful allies - Republican State Reps. Greg Bonnen of Friendswood and Dustin Burrows of Lubbock - had reacted in whirlwind fashion to the initial report on the alleged roofie spiking with social media posts that banned the lobby firm where the target of aide's accusations is employed.

Democrats had joined the stampede to justice with votes for spur-of-the-moment legislation that the staffer's lies had inspired and House leaders had advanced and done nothing to try to stop after learning the truth about the date rape drug claims and the character assasination plot that they'd spawned and facilitated.

House Bill 4661 cleared the House State Affairs Committee on a unanimous vote on Thursday night. The Department of Public Safety and Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza confirmed several hours before the committee vote that the drugging claims had been false.

Some representatives didn't realize by Monday afternoon that the accusations had been deemed by the state police to be bogus the night before the House adjourned for the weekend on Friday.

Legislators have been focused on their work with the regular session in the early stages of its final month. The disconnect from the truth on the date rape drug saga is shocking nonetheless given the vast damage that the staffer and potential co-conspirators have done with nefarious behavior that has the potential to destroy their careers in the legislative arena.

more to come ...