HOUSTON, Texas–Democrat Texas Attorney General Candidate Sam Houston pledged to end the practice of defending Texas from an overreaching federal government. He appears to believe that Texas and the federal government are the same thing saying, “Just think about how bad of a policy it is to sue yourself.”
The comment came as Houston, who is not related to the Texas legendary governor, senator and president, claimed before a group of Democrats in Bell County (Fort Hood area) that the current attorney general, Greg Abbott, has not represented the people of Texas. “Everybody counts, but right now in the attorney general office, you’ve not seen everyone count,” he said. “Greg Abbott has taken the people’s law firm and turned it into the law firm of the Republican Party.”
Houston said he would look at ending several of the state’s lawsuits against the federal government, according to the Killeen Daily Herald. Houston was asked by Belton, Texas, resident William Rosenberg, 61, what he would do during his first six months in office. Houston responded with a general answer about reviewing the agency for efficiency improvements and then reiterated he would take a “hard look” at federal lawsuits to see in which ones he could surrender to the federal government.
Breitbart Texas reached out to the Sam Houston campaign for clarification on some of these issues. The Sam Houston was quick to respond to the request and provided answers to Breitbart Texas’ questions below:
- Q: What lawsuits would you end? A: “Solutions need to be reached on most lawsuits, including many of the federal lawsuits and especially the school finance lawsuit.”
- Q: Do you believe the federal government has been overreaching into the affairs of Texas and if so, what is the proper remedy? A: “Not specifically. The state and federal government should work together to create better conditions for everyone.”
- Q: When do you believe it is appropriate for a state to file suit against the federal government? A: “Lawsuits against the federal government should be used as a last resort.”
- Q: Please explain how suing the federal government is “suing ourselves?” A: “Citizens of the State of Texas are also citizens of the United States of America. When our state files suit against the federal government, we are effectively suing ourselves and spending taxpayer dollars while doing it.”
Houston faces Texas State Senator Ken Paxton in the November general election. Paxton, on the campaign trail, has pledged to continue the practice established by General Abbott of defending the people and the economy of Texas against the federal government’s overreach under both the Obama and Bush Administrations.
Senator Paxton seems to have a different point of view about the federal governments overreach into Texas issues. Responding to an inquiry from Breitbart Texas about what Houston said in the Killeen Daily Herald article, Paxton’s campaign spokesman, Anthony Holm, responded, “One of the greatest threats to liberty is Washington’s abusive overreach into the rights of Texans by Obama. Sam Houston is an Obama Democrat, we shouldn’t be surprised that Houston wants to surrender control of Texas to the whims of liberal Democrats with activists agendas, like President Obama and Nancy Pelosi.”
Houston also said way too much attention from the attorney general’s office has been focused on guns and border security, and a lot of money has been spent on voter identification and redistricting lawsuits according to an article by Bianca Montes in the Victoria Advocate on May 27.
Appearing to surrender in defending Texans from the current invasion of illegal immigrants occurring in the Rio Grande Sector of South Texas, Houston said, “The federal government handles the border, so why are we spending tax dollars on it when our schools are underfunded?” Breitbart Texas has reported extensively about the situation and human tragedy that is occurring in South Texas due to the federal government’s failure to secure the border and protect Texans living in the region.
Houston previously failed in an attempt to run for Texas Supreme Court against Justice Dale Wainwright in 2008. Despite the Obama wave that swept many Democrats into office, Houston failed to achieve his goal and fell short by over 400,000 votes.
Bob Price is a staff writer and a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
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