Republican House Member Files Felony Complaint Against Texas GOP Chair

The GOP's Civil War now includes criminal allegations in the Speaker's race.

Y’all. This may be the funniest thing to happen in 2025 so far. Yesterday, East Texas House Republican Cody Harris (R-HD08) filed an ethics complaint against the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) Chairman Abraham George with the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC).

The complaint alleges that Abraham George’s conduct was intended to intimidate or coerce a state representative into selecting the Speaker of the Texas House, violating Sec. 302.032 of the Government Code.

Check it out:

The Chairman of the RPT allegedly sent Harris a direct message threatening to spend money on attack mailers against the incumbent if they did not support the party leadership’s preferred Speaker candidate. Harris also points out that Rule 44 was amended to authorize party leadership to block ballot applications for members who don’t support the endorsed Speaker candidate.

The text message:

Here’s the thing: Violation of Sec. 302.032 of the Government Code is a criminal offense, not a civil one. It’s a second-degree felony, which can result in a two-year prison sentence. The TEC’s jurisdiction primarily focuses on campaign finance, political advertising, and lobbyist regulations.

Complaints to the TEC can result in investigations and civil penalties, but the TEC cannot impose criminal penalties. If a case involves potential criminal violations, the TEC can refer the case to a district attorney.

We’ll have to monitor this case. RPT Chairman Abraham George may be jailed if the TEC refers it to a district attorney.

George responded with this tweet:

And the RPT put out this statement:

Look at how George frames it.

“Cody Harris wants to imprison Abraham George and ALL GRASSROOTS CONSERVATIVES…”

George’s framing of this situation is more than a little ridiculous. First, the complaint isn’t against “all grassroots conservatives.” It’s against him specifically. By broadening it to include “grassroots conservatives,” George makes it sound like Harris’s complaint is an attack on every Republican who supports party priorities—propaganda 101.

Abraham George is painting himself as a political martyr.

This kind of rhetoric distracts from the real issue and turns it into a battle for the soul of the Republican Party. George’s response reframes the TEC complaint as a full-blown culture war attack on “conservative values.” However, the only issue is whether a party leader crossed the legal line between persuasion and coercion.

The 89th Texas Legislative Session starts in FIVE more days. And this is where the Republican Party is at. Imploding in a spectacular fashion. The only certainty is that the first week of the session will be a circus, and we’re all invited to watch the show.

Cody Harris sent out this text to his constituents:

He’s framing himself as the defender of rural values and portraying Abraham George as an “urban-aligned moderate” out to control how rural Republicans vote.

And how are the Tim Dunn Republicans responding to this TEC complaint?

They are calling it “lawfare” and talking about dismantling the TEC. Because when your party is full of charlatans, grifters, and criminals, ethics is a terrible thing.

For clarification, there is no difference between the Tim Dunn Republicans, the Abraham George Republicans, and the David Cook Republicans. They’re all on the same team, one and the same, and Dunn funds most of them.

The Republican infighting over the Speaker’s race has less to do with grassroots values and more with who gets to pull the levers behind the scenes. Cody Harris, Abraham George, David Cook—they’re all playing different roles in the same game, funded by the billionaire-backed machine that’s been running Texas politics for years.

But here’s the thing about a house divided: it crumbles. And the Texas GOP looks like it’s about to collapse under the weight of its own contradictions. The Abraham George faction pretends to be crusading for conservative values while pulling moves straight out of Machiavelli’s playbook.

Meanwhile, Texans are left watching this circus instead of seeing action on property taxes, schools, and infrastructure. The legislature hasn’t even started, and the main event is a civil war. So, grab your popcorn and buckle up because nothing is more dysfunctional than Texas Republicans, and this upcoming session will be one for the history books.

• January 14: The 89th Legislative Session begins.

• March 14: The last day Legislators can file bills.

• June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.

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