The moron who lost a primary to Ted Cruz and made Wendy Davis a national star by his mistiming the sabotaging of her filibuster is making news again.
It appears that Lt. Gov. Dewhurst actually has someone who he refers to as his "step-niece-in-law". That person got arrested in Allen, Texas (suburb just north of Dallas) for not paying for some groceries.
Lt. Gov. Dewhurst called the local cops to see if he could help out his "step-niece-in-law".
ALLEN — The Allen Police Department on Wednesday released a recording of a 12-minute call placed on August 3 by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. One of the most powerful politicians in the State of Texas was seeking the release of a relative who had been arrested on a shoplifting charge.
Link to released audio
Link to WFAA story
If you can't listen to it right now here are some selected highlights:
"This is David Dewhurst, and I'm the lieutenant governor of the State of Texas," he tells the dispatcher, who forwarded the call to a police department sergeant.
"What do I need to do to arrange for getting her out of jail this evening?" Dewhurst asks the police officer.
The officer explains that the case is now in the hands of Collin County authorities and there's nothing he can do to expedite the woman's release.
"I am, every year, the number-one pick of all of the law enforcement agencies within Texas," Dewhurst tells the officer. "You don't know it, but I'm a supporter of you and a supporter of law enforcement."
Dewhurst repeatedly asks what he needs to do to get the woman out of jail, and is politely instructed by the Allen police officer to call the sheriff's office.
"This is ridiculous," Dewhurst says "This lady, in my mind, is 100 percent innocent, and it's just an unfortunate situation of circumstances."
On several occasions, Dewhurst says the commander of the Texas Department of Public Safety (The agency that has the Texas Rangers & powerful Highway Patrol. Texas has no state police) will be calling to follow up on his inquiry.
Dewhurst's rivals are already getting on this:
“Dew’s call to Allen PD sounds like Anchorman Ron Burgundy: ‘I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal. People know me,’” tweeted Texas Ag Commissioner Todd Staples, who’s running against Dewhurst in next year’s GOP primary.
So is Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, who, predictably, tweeted with exclamation-pointed righteous indignation: “Dewhurst’s blatant abuse of power to get a family member out of jail is disturbing!”
link
Ken Herman from the Austin American Statesman puts it well:
I’m no lawyer, but I’m pretty sure the best way to go about trying to get a loved one out of jail involves calling a lawyer. I believe our major metropolitan areas are blessed with a plentiful abundance of lawyers, including some who sit by their phones awaiting calls from normal citizens trying to get a loved one out of jail. You can often find their phone numbers on large billboards and late-night TV ads.
Unknown to some, Texas really does have an organized Democratic Party and Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa issued this
statement:
“Once again Lt. Gov. Dewhurst has shown that he thinks he is beyond the rules and laws that govern regular Texans. His call to police shows a clear attempt to use his political position for influence, intimidation, and preferential treatment. That’s just not how things work in Texas. Our political leaders are not above the rest of Texans, nor should they expect to be treated so. Dewhurst has further disrespected the office of the Lt. Governor, and highlights the failure of leadership by those presently in power.”