Governor Abbott blasted Sheriff Valdez, accusing her of "not securing her firearm." His campaign tweeted and produced an accusatory video when they learned that the Dallas Sheriff's Department had misplaced a firearm which was issued to her.
The gun was in the Dallas Sheriff Department Property Room. Common sense should have alerted the Governor and his campaign staff that the department, not the person who exited the department, was responsible for a firearm after it was returned to the department, but they barreled ahead full-steam in their attempts to distort the incident and smear a highly respected law enforcement officer. When an employee retires, they turn in the items issued by the department. Then it is the department's responsibility, not the retiree's, to properly store and track those items. Instead of using reasonable forbearance, the Governor issued unsubstantiated accusatory tweets and PR releases attempting to smear former Sheriff Lupe Valdez.
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/Former-Sheriff-Lupe-Valdezs-Gun-Found-in-Sheriffs-Department-Property-Room-491370061.html
Governor Abbott owes Lupe Valdez a public apology. Let's make it happen.
I contacted him on the official Governor's contact link today.
I wrote:
Dear Gov. Abbott,
You should apologize to former Dallas Sheriff Lupe Valdez for the video and tweets your campaign put out in your name accusing her of not securing the gun she had returned to the Dallas County Sheriff's Department. Your comments are beneath the office you hold. As a citizen of Texas, I am disappointed in you for this unmerited attack on the very highly regarded former Sheriff of Dallas, Texas.
Your apology should be as public and as widely disseminated as were your inappropriate comments accusing her of not securing the gun which was in the Dallas Sheriff Department Property Room.
Sincerely,
Faith Chatham
Please join me. Contact him and demand that he apologize to Lupe Valdez for accusing her of not securing her firearm. The Contact Link is: https://gov.texas.gov/contact
Please share this information with others and urge them to contact the Governor of Texas and demand an apology.
To phone the Governor: 512-463-2000.
When tweeting about this please include #ValdezGun
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2018-elections/2018/08/21/lupe-valdezs-missing-gun-found-dallas-county-sheriffs-department-property-room