Texas Governor Greg Abbott asked former U.S. Representative Blake Farenthold (R-TX) to pay for the cost of the special election forced by his resignation. Farenthold announced his exit following a revelation that he used taxpayer funds to settle a sexual harassment claim.
The governor asked Farenthold to reimburse the taxpayers in the counties he represents in the 27th Congressional District for the estimated $84,000 it will cost to conduct a special election to replace him.
“While you have publicly offered to reimburse the $84,000 in taxpayer funds you wrongly used to settle a sexual harassment claim, there is no legal recourse requiring you to give that money back to Congress,” Governor Abbott wrote in the letter to Farenthold. “I am urging you to give those funds back to the counties in your district to cover the costs of the June 30, 2018, special election. This seat must be filled, and the counties and taxpayers in the 27th Congressional District should not again pay the price for your actions.”
Abbott reminded the representative that many of the counties in his district are already cash-strapped due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey last summer. “It is imperative that we fill this vacancy as soon as possible,” the governor wrote.
The governor scheduled the special election to fill the vacancy for June 30. If no candidate reaches a majority vote, a runoff election will be forced.
“This seat must be filled, and the counties and taxpayers in the 27th Congressional District should not again pay the price for your actions,” the governor stated.
Abbott gave Farenthold until May 2 to respond to the request.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, GAB, and Facebook.
Letter from Gov. Abbott to Rep. Farenthold Regarding Emergency Special Election Letter