HOUSTON (Covering Katy News) — A bill passed by the Texas Senate could affect the criminal case against Fort Bend County Judge KP George, who was indicted last year on a charge related to allegedly fabricating racist attacks against his own campaign on social media to create sympathy for himself while making his opponents supporters appear to be racist.
The legislation, Senate Bill 987, addresses a recent Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruling that requires prosecutors to get approval from the Texas Ethics Commission before bringing criminal charges against politicians for ethics law violations.
George's case has become entangled in this legal debate after his attorney argued for dismissal because prosecutors did not have explicit approval from the ethics commission when they filed charges. A judge sided with prosecutors, and George has since appealed to the Fourteenth Court of Appeals.
The case stems from accusations that George worked with a staffer, Taral Patel, to create fake racist attacks against his own campaign on social media. When prosecutors sought permission from the ethics commission to indict George, they moved forward with criminal charges after not receiving a response before the statute of limitations was set to expire.
Senate Bill 987, co-authored by Republican Senators Paul Bettencourt of Houston and Brian Birdwell of Granbury, would eliminate the requirement for prosecutors to seek permission from the ethics commission before pursuing politicians who violate campaign laws.
"This is really just a common sense bill because the fact is the legislature never intended that all matters be handled civilly through the ethics commission," Bettencourt told Houston Public Media.
The bill passed the Texas Senate 28-3 last week and now heads to the Texas House of Representatives.
The underlying court case that prompted this legislative action involved Washington County politician Robbie Gail Charette, who was accused of errors related to financial paperwork and political ads. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals initially ruled that the Texas Ethics Commission has sole authority over certain campaign finance, lobbying and political advertising laws, but has agreed to rehear the case with oral arguments scheduled for April 29.
Chad Dick, George's attorney, declined to comment on the Senate bill. The Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office also declined to comment on the legislation.
Last year, in response to the Charette ruling, the ethics commission drafted an emergency rule allowing immediate referral of cases for prosecution upon receiving a complaint, which was formally adopted in early March.