Larry Phillips... vice chairman of the panel investigating... Larry Phillips... recuses himself...

This is strange. Bryan Hughes is alleging that Larry Phillips is the person who reached out to him on behalf of Straus and suggested that there would be consequences in redistricting if Hughes didn't go along (link). Excerpt follows...

Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, the vice chairman of the House committee charged with investigating ethics complaints, was identified today as the House leadership member who allegedly warned a colleague that lawmakers who fail to support Speaker Joe Straus for re-election could face retribution through redistricting.

Rep. Charles L. "Chuck" Hopson, chairman of the House General Investigating and Ethics Committee, made the disclosure before the committee went into closed executive session to discuss the allegation.  Phillips recused himself as vice chairman of the panel and was participating in the closed session. He was not immediately available for comment.

Hopson ordered the inquiry after Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, released a statement saying that a member of Straus' leadership team warned him that members who fail to support Straus in the speaker's race could be punished when lawmakers redraw legislative districts next year.

This is really amazing stuff... however my belief is that nobody is paying attention at all... this is all insider gamesmanship until perhaps after the new year when there will be a stretch of about 10 days of fast and furious campaigning by insiders and outsiders alike. For now both sides would be smart to build their armies and if you are Straus avoid embarrassments like this...

I had suggested that Phillips should recuse himself because he took money from Straus this year, but he had to recuse himself because he is the one being accused of threatening Hughes... Hopson should also recuse himself because of the enormous amount of money Straus gave his campaign this year... just to prove this is not a sham hearing...

Hughes played that whole thing very smartly... and depending on what happens now he should probably give more details...

On the one hand threatening redistricting someone out of their seat is likely unethical and possibly illegal... on the other hand we don't know what actually happened... it could have been an innocent remark by Phillips that Hughes blew up into something bigger we really don't know... except Hughes testified under oath and Phillips did not testify under oath and they disagreed on what was said... which is a little bit suspicious...

If Paxton keeps picking up 2 or 3 new pledges each day it has the possibility to snow ball but I think everyone can count, and Straus still has many many more pledges than he needs... it will take a critical mass of an opposition... many of whom got burned 2 years ago opposing Straus and do not want to get burned again now... before Straus is truly threatened...