Yesterday, the Dallas Morning News reported that Texas Governor Greg Abbott lied about his attendance at a private campaign fundraiser after the shooting in Uvalde. Abbott claimed that his 150-mile, off-course stop in Huntsville was simply to “let people know that I could not stay, that I needed to go” to Austin to help with the response. However, “flight-tracking records show that Abbott, using northeast Texas rancher-businessman Ricky Baker’s loaned jet” was grounded for just about three hours in Huntsville.
“Greg Abbott lied about fundraising after a national tragedy, but the truth has come out,” said Dallas Prater, spokesperson for American Bridge 21st Century. “Abbott made the decision to focus on his re-election campaign and beg for dollars while Texas families were grieving. Abbott has shown time and time again that he is disconnected from the people of Texas.”
Dallas Morning News: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stayed at fundraiser for hours after Uvalde shooting, records show
By Robert T. Garrett | July 28, 2022
Key Points:
- “After the Uvalde school shooting, Gov. Greg Abbott spent nearly three hours in Huntsville at a campaign fundraiser that he was criticized for not canceling. But the governor didn’t touch down and quickly depart, as he implied, after news outlets reported he’d gone ahead with the May 24 fundraiser at a private home in East Texas. Some expected Abbott to instead rush to the South Texas town where residents awaited news about unaccounted-for relatives.”
- “The following day, Abbott said the stop in Huntsville was to “let people know that I could not stay, that I needed to go” to Austin to continue working with law enforcement on the response to the 21 killings at Robb Elementary School.”
- “Newly obtained campaign finance reports and flight-tracking records show that Abbott, using northeast Texas rancher-businessman Ricky Baker’s loaned jet, arrived in Huntsville at 4:52 p.m. on May 24. He was driven about two miles to a local supporter’s house and didn’t depart the city until 7:47 p.m.”
- “Abbott has been dogged by the Uvalde massacre, with criticism of his decision to go forward with the fundraiser, his inaccurate early statements that police heroically responded to the shooter and his deferring to the Texas Legislature to frame policy responses that might avert repetitions of mass killings.”
Read the full report here.
Published: Jul 29, 2022 | Last Modified: Aug 28, 2022