The Question
Was Greg Abbott informed ahead of time that David Whitley would send the flawed list of suspected noncitizen registrants on the voter rolls to Attorney General Ken Paxton BEFORE the list was reviewed and vetted by county election officials?
Here’s what David Whitley said
Whitley testified under oath that Abbott’s office reviewed the press releasewhich detailed his actions – including the list transfer to the AG’s office – before the press release was issued.
Here’s what Greg Abbott said
When asked during a KXAN interview whether he knew the flawed list would be sent to the AG’s office prior to county review, Abbott flatly replied “I can’t even confirm that that happened.”
Both statements can’t be true.
So…
Is Abbott Throwing Whitley Under the Bus?
David Whitley has a long, close relationship with Greg Abbott that extends far back to when Whitley worked for Abbott in the Texas Attorney General office. Whitley now is Abbott’s appointee as Secretary of State. Given the long and close nature of the relationship and both men’s past connection to the Attorney General’s office, it seems very unlikely that Whitley did not clear every detail of the voter purge effort with Abbott – especially any involvement by the AG.
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