Straus, who’s Jewish, publicly confirmed the dialog for the primary time Thursday. It had beforehand been reported by Texas Month-to-month.
By Jasper Scherer and Robert Downen, The Texas Tribune April 4, 2024
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Former Texas Home Speaker Joe Straus mentioned on Thursday that Midland oil magnate Tim Dunn, one of many state’s strongest and influential GOP megadonors, as soon as instructed him that solely Christians ought to maintain management positions within the decrease chamber.
Straus, a Republican who’s Jewish, relayed the encounter in an interview with former Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith on the LBJ College of Public Affairs. It seemed to be the primary time Straus publicly confirmed the anecdote, which was first reported by Texas Month-to-month in a 2018 story that cited “Straus insiders.”
The alleged remarks got here at a November 2010 assembly, shortly after Dunn’s political community had focused most of the Democrats and reasonable Republicans who had helped Straus ascend to the speakership the yr earlier than. With Straus poised to hunt a second time period as speaker the next January, he mentioned he requested Dunn to satisfy within the hopes of discovering frequent floor on “fiscal tax points.”
However Dunn reportedly demanded that Straus substitute “a major quantity” of his committee chairs with tea party-aligned lawmakers backed by Dunn’s political advocacy group, Empower Texans. After Straus rebuffed the demand, the 2 started to speak about social coverage, at which level Dunn allegedly mentioned he believed solely Christians ought to maintain management posts.
“It was a fairly unsatisfactory assembly,” Straus mentioned Thursday. “We by no means met once more.”
Dunn didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Straus’ affirmation of the feedback comes as Dunn’s political empire continues to face scrutiny for its ties to avowed white supremacists and antisemites. In October, The Texas Tribune reported that Jonathan Stickland, the then-leader of Dunn’s strongest political motion committee, hosted distinguished white supremacist and Adolf Hitler admirer Nick Fuentes at his workplace for practically seven hours. The Tribune subsequently uncovered shut ties between quite a few different Fuentes associates and Defend Texas Liberty, the PAC that Stickland led till he was quietly changed final yr.
The reporting prompted Speaker Dade Phelan and 60 different Home Republicans to name for the Texas GOP to chop ties with Defend Texas Liberty and Stickland. Dunn has not publicly commented on the matter, although Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick mentioned Dunn “instructed me unequivocally that it was a severe blunder” for Stickland to satisfy with Fuentes. Patrick added that Dunn had assured him his political motion committee and its staff would haven’t any “future contact” with Fuentes.
Late final yr, the state social gathering’s government committee narrowly rejected a ban on associating with Holocaust deniers, neo-Nazis and antisemites — which some members mentioned might create a slippery slope and complicate the social gathering’s relationship with donors or candidates. After outcry, the Texas GOP’s government committee handed a considerably watered-down model of the decision earlier this yr.
On the time of his alleged remarks to Straus, Dunn was a lesser-known political entity, utilizing teams reminiscent of Empower Texans to push for libertarian financial coverage and assist fund the state’s nascent tea social gathering motion. Teams and lawmakers backed by Dunn had been notably essential of Straus, regularly attacking him as a weak conservative—a declare they’ve made towards every of Straus’ successors, together with Phelan.
Since then, Dunn’s affect on state politics has steadily grown. He and one other West Texas billionaire, Farris Wilks, have poured tens of tens of millions of {dollars} into far-right candidates and actions who’ve incrementally pulled the Texas GOP and legislature towards their hardline, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-immigration stances. Dunn’s allies have in the meantime pushed again towards claims that he’s antisemitic or adheres to Christian nationalism, which argues that America’s founding was God-ordained and that its establishments and legal guidelines ought to thus favor their model of ultraconservative Christianity.
Even after the Tribune’s reporting sparked a wave of backlash, Dunn emerged from final month’s main maybe stronger than ever, after his political community made good on its vows for vengeance towards Home Republicans who voted to question their key state ally, Lawyer Normal Ken Paxton. 9 GOP incumbents have been unseated by hardline conservative challengers and eight others, together with Phelan, have been pressured into runoffs—largely towards main foes backed by Dunn’s community.
The first additionally paved the way in which for the seemingly passage of laws that might permit taxpayer cash to fund non-public and spiritual faculties—a key coverage objective for a motion that seeks to infuse extra Christianity into public life. The push for college vouchers was spearheaded by Gov. Greg Abbott, who spent greater than $6 million of his personal marketing campaign cash to assist unseat six anti-voucher Republicans and push 4 others into runoffs.
Straus, whose decade-long run as speaker overlapped with Abbott’s first time period as governor, criticized Abbott’s spending blitz to take out fellow GOP lawmakers. He additionally accused Abbott of falsely portraying members as weak on border safety even after they voted for the GOP’s complete slate of border laws final yr, pointing to Abbott’s advertisements attacking state Rep. Steve Allison, Straus’ successor in his San Antonio district.
“It’s too dangerous the governor took on all these members who’re 99% with him,” Straus mentioned.
Abbott has known as the outcomes “an unmistakable message from voters” in assist of college vouchers. He lately mentioned the Home was two votes away from a transparent pro-voucher majority and urged supporters to “redouble our efforts” through the runoffs.
Straus argued Abbott’s transfer to unseat anti-voucher incumbents “confirmed extra frustration than political braveness,” citing the governor’s failure to move a voucher measure through the spring common session and a number of particular classes.
“Persuasion failed, so he took on retribution,” Straus mentioned. “I believe it’s actually unlucky, and I believe it simply additional diminishes the work of the Legislature and our state authorities.”
Abbott’s marketing campaign didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Straus, who served within the Home from 2005 to 2019, introduced he wouldn’t search reelection within the fall of 2017, after concluding a months-long feud with Patrick over a invoice that might have regulated which bogs transgender Texans might use. Straus opposed the measure, which by no means made it by way of the Home.
Since Straus’ retirement, the legislature has handed legal guidelines barring transgender minors from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapies and proscribing which sports activities groups transgender pupil athletes can be part of.
Straus mentioned the array of current legal guidelines geared toward LGBTQ+ Texans have left the neighborhood “borderline persecuted.”
“The place’s the humanity in that? And why is it such an obsession?” Straus mentioned. “Time and time once more, they attempt to discover some area of interest factor they suppose will play properly within the main when, in my opinion, it is rooted in simply plain indecency.”
Straus largely demurred when requested to evaluate Phelan’s efficiency as speaker, quipping that he “actually did not respect former members pontificating about whether or not I used to be good or dangerous” throughout his run as speaker. He mentioned Phelan has typically been a great speaker, although when requested if Phelan made the precise transfer to question Paxton, Straus mentioned, “historical past has made that questionable,” citing the first outcomes.
Nonetheless, he argued that it stays to be seen how the Home will change subsequent session, even with its obvious shift to the precise final month and calls from hardline Home members to align extra with Patrick and the Senate.
“In my expertise, the Home has by no means been simply tamed,” Straus mentioned after the LBJ College interview. “And I believe that if I have been a betting man, I’d guess that the Home will need to shield its independence, that it will need to shield its establishment.”
This text initially appeared in The Texas Tribune.
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