Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg has formally requested Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office to handle and prosecute corruption cases involving the office of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. It is important to note that both Ogg and Hidalgo belong to the Democratic party.
During a news conference, Ogg stated that she requested Paxton’s office to assume jurisdiction over six public corruption cases involving three former members of Hidalgo’s office. These individuals were accused of unlawfully directing an $11 million contract for COVID outreach to Elevate Strategies, a company with no healthcare experience and only one employee, as reported by The Center Square.
Ogg expressed her request for the intervention of the Attorney General in order to protect the public’s interest and maintain trust in the government. She emphasized the importance of the Harris County residents’ expectation that their elected district attorney will prosecute corruption cases involving public officials, regardless of their political affiliation. Ogg reminded that it was a diverse group of Harris County residents serving on a grand jury who thoroughly reviewed the Texas Rangers’ investigation and the evidence they uncovered.
“I believe it’s important to clarify that District Attorneys (DAs) do not hold the power to determine the outcomes of cases,” she emphasized. “Our primary responsibility is to uphold the principles of fairness and justice. However, it is disheartening to acknowledge the significant obstacles faced by locally elected prosecutors, including myself, when it comes to prosecuting cases involving public corruption. The reality of political retaliation cannot be ignored,” she added, alluding to the influx of external funding that supported her opponent, Sean Teare, ultimately leading to her defeat in the Democratic primary back in March.”
Teare was granted $700,000 by George Soros’ Justice and Safety PAC, a billionaire Democratic donor. The main focus of this PAC is to support the election of district attorneys who will implement policies aimed at eliminating bail, releasing criminals, and defunding the police. Following the announcement of an investigation into Hidalgo’s office, she publicly endorsed Teare using county resources, which led to an ethics complaint being filed against her.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg expressed significant concerns about how public corruption cases will be handled by the next District Attorney of Harris County. She highlighted the challenges that these cases present and their impact on the public. Ogg also noted that the current District Attorney, Teare, referred to the Hidalgo corruption case as a “political prosecution,” despite not having access to the evidence in the cases.
According to Ogg, Teare’s involvement in prosecuting these cases poses a conflict of interest due to his current employment at a law firm representing one of the defendants. Ogg further suggests that the relationship between Teare and Hidalgo raises concerns about potential manipulation of cases for political support.
“This approach to prosecuting public corruption is deeply flawed and undermines the public’s trust in our justice system. It creates a conflict of interest that erodes confidence and fairness. We must ensure that the politically powerful and the powerless are held to the same standards, without any double standards.”
Shane Attaway, the chief of the AG’s Criminal Prosecutions and Law Enforcement Divisions, made a brief statement during the news conference. He mentioned that his team would take on both investigative and prosecutorial responsibilities, and present the evidence to the jury.
In a statement, Paxton expressed confidence in the abilities of his prosecutors and investigators, proclaiming them to be the finest in the State. He emphasized their commitment to handling each case with the utmost professionalism. Paxton further affirmed that, as with all cases, the pursuit of truth and justice would be their paramount goal.
Hidalgo expressed her disappointment in a statement following the news conference. She stated, “I am not surprised at all, just even more disappointed. DA Ogg showed us months ago the political nature of her work when she secretly hired the general counsel of the Texas Republican Party as the lead prosecutor – all during my reelection. True to form, the DA still has only baseless claims and now she wants to keep the story alive by handing her case to Ken Paxton, who routinely targets me and Harris County.”