Beto O'Rourke Gets Endorsement From Former President ... Of Mexico [#TXPolitics 24/7]

In a move that is unlikely to move many moderates and Republicans to vote for him, former Mexican president Vincente Fox has endorsed Representative Beto O’Rourke’s (D - El Paso) campaign to unseat Senator Ted Cruz in a tweet.

 “Wow! What a candidate! What a man! Beto, you are fantastic,” Fox said in a video posted to Twitter. “You’re great! You’re an all-American.”

National Review notes that Fox, who held office from 2000 to 2006, famously told President Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign that “Mexico will not pay for the f***ing wall.” Since then, he's been a vocal critic of the president.

Joaquin Castro Floats Conspiracy Theory That Jared Kushner Orchestrated Khashoggi Murder [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

Well, maybe Joaquin Castro isn't going to run for president after all. Or maybe he just launched his campaign to win over the Hard Left in his party.

Castro told CNN that Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner had something to do with the murder of Jamal Khashogghi.

On CNN Friday, Castro claimed there was "reporting out there" that Jared Kushner may have some involvement in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. The member of the House intelligence committee said Trump’s son-in-law "delivered a hit list" to the Saudi crown prince, who is accused of ordering the murder the Washington Post journalist, who had been living in the US on a work visa after reporting critically on the Saudi royal family for several years.

The Saudi government only this weekend admitted that Khashoggi was killed in its Turkish consulate. They've yet to admit to the more grisly details, for which Turkey says they have evidence.

Various media outlets and the watchdog site Mediaite reported the exchange:

"Let me get to the point that I think is most disturbing right now,” he told anchor Poppy Harlow, when asked for his reaction to Khashoggi's murder. “The reporting that Jared Kushner may have, with U.S. Intelligence, delivered a hit list, an enemies list, to the crown prince, to MBS in Saudi Arabia and that the prince then may have acted on that and one of the people he took action against is Mr. Khashoggi. And if that’s the case…” 

Harlow immediately jumped in to say, “Just to be clear, congressman, we don’t have––I just want to be clear for our viewers, we do not have that reporting. I’m not sure where you’re getting that from.”

While Kushner, a senior adviser to Trump, is close to the Saudi crown prince, no one has accused Kushner of any involvement, let alone orchestration, in the Khashoggi killing.

And he denies that he gave any such list to the Crown Prince, who runs the Saudi Kingdom for his elderly father, King Salman. There HAS BEEN, however, some reporting suggesting that he had supplied a list of dissidents to the prince last year, allegedly compiled by US intelligence services. Again, Kushner denies any such thing occurred.


Castro himself almost immediately tried to "walk back" the claim on twitter, after the Daily Beast rushed out a story on the CNN interview. Castro Tweeted:

To be clear, I did not intend to accuse @jaredkushner of orchestrating anything. Based on press reporting, I’m asking for Congress to open an investigation of whether any US Intelligence was shared with Saudi Arabia that led to political persecution or killing of #Khashoggi 

(The Daily Beast changed the headline of its original story after the "Walk-back" by Castro.)

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, joined by many conservative commentators, erupted on Twitter, going to bat for the boss's son-in-law:

.@JoaquinCastrotx’s allegation is an outrageous slanderous lie without a shred of proof, it’s reprehensible for a sitting Congressman and supposed “news” outlets to continue citing an article that used unnamed sources and was completely debunked.

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro Tweeted:

 And I accuse Castro of eating baby elephants based on _______

And commentator Hugh Hewitt accused Castro of full-blown Trump Derangement Syndrome:

This has to be among the most irresponsible accusations ever leveled without a whit of evidence for it, one obviously reflecting full-blown TDS.

ANALYSIS:
Calling for in investigation into the thing he accused Kushner of is hardly an apology, or a clarification, of the original accusation, but a restating of the accusation. Some would say, even doubling down.

It's unclear whether this will play well with Democrats in the primaries if Castro does seek the nomination in 2020. After the DNA Disaster Elizabeth Warren put herself through this week, we know that even hard-core Democrats can turn on those who are considered "toxic" to their chances against Trump - whom they desperately want to beat in 2020.

Republicans would argue that Castro certainly has the "unsubstantiated accusation" concept down, honed by Democrats during the Kavanaugh hearings. And this is becoming a hugely popular tactic with which to attack Republicans.

What's clear is that whether there's any smoke to this fiery conspiracy theory, Castro has become a target for the Right, and a hero for some on the Left for calling Kushner out.

It's Official: US Sen. Candidate Beto O'Rourke Is A Solid "Yes" For Impeaching Trump In 2019 [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

Well, all ambiguity about Democratic US Senate Candidate Beto O'Rourke's stand on impeachment has been swept aside, following his dramatic announcement during a CNN town hall that he would be a "Yes" in favor or impeaching Pres. Trump, if elected.

He had previously prevaricated on the subject (leaving voters with a tentative "Yes" this summer) but a question from CNN's Dana Bash during the live town hall Thursday, O'Rourke reiterated his belief that Trump should be impeached, saying "there is enough there" to begin the impeachment process.

"I haven't," he replied to a question whether he changed his mind since he called for the president’s impeachment last summer after the Trump-Putin summit in Finland. He explained that the summit was “collusion in action.”

"There may be an open question as to whether the president, then the candidate, sought to collude with the Russian government in 2016," the Democrat continued, pointing to the investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election.

Thus far, Congressional Democratic leaders have been eager to keep impeachment out of the 2018 campaign, unwilling to support a loud chorus of Democrats in Congress pushing for impeachment - likely because the issue would be, to say the least, extremely divisive.

If Democrats were to pass articles of impeachment upon potentially taking the House in November's midterms, the president would face a trial in the Senate that could lead to removal from office. That trial would likely take up most of 2019 - something many moderate voters would not be happy to see.

When pressed on why he would vote for impeachment without seeing the investigation's results, O'Rourke responded that enough public evidence already existed to convince him of Trump's potential guilt.

"President Castro?" Obama-Era Cabinet Member Likely To Be First Texan To Seek Democratic Nomination In 2020 [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

Despite all the (premature) talk about Rep. Beto O'Rourke being a potential 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate, it looks like Joaquin Castro is a more likely candidate.

On the Sunday TV shows and in a Rolling Stone interview, Castro (the former Housing and Urban Development Secretary under Obama, not to be confused with his brother Julian Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio) actually confirmed that he's "likely" to run in 2020.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, the Obama-era official gave the strongest indication yet that he is planning to run for office. "I have a strong vision for the country," Mr. Castro said, "I believe that our country is going in the wrong direction and that it needs new leadership."

He promised to wait until after the November midterm elections to make a final decision to get into what will be a VERY crowded race, but is quoted as saying he is "inclined to do it."

The Washington Times notes that "the prominent Hispanic politician is one of many Democrats that voiced strong opposition over the summer to the Trump administration’s policy that separated immigrant families at the border."

But, of course, all Democrats made sweeping condemnations about this issue, including Texas' other native son, Beto O'Rourke, and potential 2020 presidential candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D - MA) Sen. Cory Booker (D - NJ) Sen. Kamala Harris (D - CA) and Vice President Joe Biden.

It will be interesting to see whether his early announcement of his potential run galvanizes Texans and Democrats from around the nation.

Gov. Abbott Pushes Back Insurance Rate Hike Deadline; Enjoys 19 Point Lead In Latest Poll [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

The deadline for the Texas Department of Insurance’s decision on a proposed 10% rate increase by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association was pushed back Thursday by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Abbott suspended a section of the Texas Insurance Code to provide the break. His aim is to provide more time for legislators to answer questions that the rate hike could potentially affect recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast.

"The actuarial soundness of TWIA is an important issue, but such a rate increase at this time would negatively impact the people of the Gulf Coast," Abbott wrote in a letter Thursday to Texas Insurance Commissioner Kent Sullivan.

Under the Texas Insurance Code, state legislators have until Oct. 15 to decide on the rate increase. If they don’t settle it before then, the rate would be considered approved, a press release from the governor’s office said.

Compliance with that deadline fails to provide the state legislature with enough time to address the rate increase during the upcoming session. A lengthy delay, Abbott said, could force a quick decision that would hinder recovery efforts from Harvey.

(Full story HERE)

POLL SHOWS ABBOTT WAY AHEAD, HIGH FAVORABLES

A new poll of likely voters from Quinnipiac University shows Republican Gov. Greg Abbott leads his Democratic challenger, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, by 19 points. Abbott leads former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez 58% to 39% among likely voters. The poll also showed that 62% of Texas likely voters approve of the job Abbott is doing and give him a 60% favorability rating.

Sen. Ted Cruz And Possible 2020 Pres. Candidate Avenatti Tangle In Twitter War [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

Stormy Daniels attorney and presumptive 2020 presidential candidate Michael Avenatti has endorsed Beto O'Rourke's US Senate race against Ted Cruz, drawing ridicule from the incumbent Republican, leading to a Twitter War between them both.

In a tweet, Cruz attacked Michael Avenatti, who represented one of the women who came forward during Senate hearings claiming now Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh had attacked them in his youth.

“What did Michael Avenatti do right after beclowning himself with absurd and slanderous allegations during the Kavanaugh circus? Endorse Beto,” Cruz tweeted Thursday.

The tweet came a day after Avenatti endorsed O'Rourke on Twitter, writing, ".@BetoORourke deserves all of our support. He is fighting the good fight every day. He would make an exceptional senator for Texas."

Avenatti, not to be outdone, tweeted back to Cruz, saying:

"My mother, born in Lueders (Texas, not Canada), taught me to call it like I see it and talk straight. So as much as I hate to do this, I’m going to have to agree with @realDonaldTrump when it comes to Lyin’ Ted."

He proceeded to post screenshots of eight tweets critical of Cruz that Trump posted during the hotly contested 2016 campaign.

Avenatti is reportedly slated to host a fundraiser for the Harris County Democratic Party next Tuesday.

Police Confiscate "Vulgar" Homemade Political Sign On Lawn After Ag Commissioner Posts Picture [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

Police in Hamilton, Texas have apparently confiscated a sign from the lawn of a resident after Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller posted photos of it online.

The sign, featuring a Republican elephant's trunk provocatively extending up the skirt of a little girl, was homemade by resident Marion Stanford, who modeled it on a political cartoon appearing in the Washington Post in 2017, amid the controversy surrounding Roy Moore's US Senate campaign.

The sign stood among campaign signs for several Democratic candidates for office, including Beto O'Rourke, Congressional candidate Julie Oliver, and Miller's opponent, Kim Olson (which apparently is what set him off.)

But Miller had a different interpretation. "This is in Hamilton, Texas and is supposed to be Judge Kavanaugh's young daughter. Notice my opponent's sign in the background. The Democrat sleaze knows NO bounds!" he posted on Facebook earlier this week.

Stanford said she did create the sign after watching the Kavanaugh hearings, but denied the girl was meant to represent his daughter.

Those commenting on the post expressed outrage, one saying, "Does the town have decency laws, file a complaint with police!  Beyond Disgusting" others said the sign itself constituted a form of abuse against children. "Who ever did this should be put In prison! What kind of person
Would do this!"

Following the publicity, police showed up at her home, at the insistence of city officials, according to the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.

The paper reports that "Some say she was told to remove the sign or it would be confiscated. City officials said police visited Stanford’s home and she asked them to take the sign."

Miller posted to Facebook again after the sign was removed, calling it "vulgar" and saying he was glad it had been removed.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Candidate Collier Blames Legislature For Skyrocketing Local Property Taxes [#TXPOLITICS 24/7]

The Democrat's candidate for lieutenant governor, Mike Collier, a CPA, is blaming the Texas State Legislature for skyrocketing property tax rates, alleging that they have a penchant for pushing the tax burden down to the local level.

He tweeted recently, "The state cannot pay all its bills! We are in a fiscal death spiral, and the only place GOP turns to is local property taxes laundered through the school funding mechanism and unfunded mandates."

In an opinion piece for the Houston Chronicle, Collier expanded on this sentiment, saying the state, "has been playing a sinister game of pushing costs down to school districts and counties."

School districts and counties get their money from property taxes. Local property values keep going up, so school and county tax collections keep going up. And that lets the state slough off its obligations to local taxpayers. ...

There is no question that the state is responsible for skyrocketing property taxes, even though property taxes are collected locally. And it’s not just the school funding mechanism that drives property tax increases. The state passes laws that force counties to spend more money, and counties have no choice but to use rising local property taxes to pay their bills.

Read the full column here.