Late today, Speaker Joe Straus struck back at two of his critics. He accused allies of Rep. Warren Chisum, his opponent in the speaker's race, of threatening people with primary opponents if they support Straus. He said Chisum's backers have demanded that Straus publish a list of committee assignments two months in advance of the session. That would be a terrible precedent, Straus said in an open letter to Chisum, R-Pampa. (See jump for full text.) And Straus says Rep. Bryan Hughes should identify which member of Straus' "leadership team" supposedly told him last weekend that redistricting maps are being prepared to punish lawmakers not on the speaker's list of supporters.
"These allegations are outrageous and I have a call into Rep. Hughes to insist that he name the individual with whom he had this alleged conversation," Straus said this evening. "I did not and would never authorize, allow or condone linking redistricting in any way with the speaker's race, and anyone who knows me knows better than to give that assertion any credence."
Straus, R-San Antonio, said that when Hughes, an East Texas Republican, "called me earlier today to discuss his pledge, he never offered this as an explanation. He did say that revoking his pledge to me was more difficult than revoking his pledge in previous speaker's races."
Ouch. Speakers DO have incisors!
Source: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/straus-hughes-should-id-the-ca.html
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