The Texas Senate Schedules A Hearing On Colony Ridge

Although the House hearing and several media outlets determined that right-wing media fabricated all of the stories about Colony Ridge, Senator Bettencourt schedules a new hearing without public input

Republicans in the Texas government never miss an opportunity to waste taxpayer dollars, especially when they have a chance to pander to the few white supremacist billionaires that control them. A few weeks ago, the Texas House Committee on State Affairs held a hearing on Colony Ridge. Witnesses included the developers of this subdivision, the local sheriff, Liberty County Judge, DPS Director Steve McGraw, and representatives from the TEQ. The biggest takeaway from this hearing was that everything we heard about Colony Ridge from right-wing media was a lie.

(You can see the report from Lone Star Left: Everything Republicans Said About Colony Ridge Was A Lie.)

Despite that, the Senate Committee on Local Government, chaired by Senator Paul Bettencourt, scheduled another hearing on Tuesday.

Why? Moreso, why are they refusing to take public testimony?

While the House hearing regarding Colony Ridge was happening, Attorney General Ken Paxton put out a letter blaming the development on his enemies (legislators who voted to impeach). Bettencourt is one of the senators who voted to acquit Paxton despite his corruption and the mountains of evidence against him. This gave the appearance of Bettencourt also being corrupt.

Is Bettencourt looking to take aim at Paxton’s enemies on his behalf?

What does Bettencourt believe he’ll uncover that wasn’t already discovered at the House hearings or by the media?

If you are not already aware, Bettencourt has a decades-long history of attacking Hispanic voters and communities. Knowing that the House Committee already debunked all of the right-wing lies about Colony Ridge and the recent anti-immigrant legislation that passed in the House, you can’t help but think about the motivations behind this hearing being something sinister.

We’ll be watching.

The persistence of Republican Texas legislators in pursuing baseless hearings and propagating falsehoods, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, raises concerns about their true intentions.

It is essential to hold our elected officials accountable, ensuring that their actions align with the interests and well-being of the diverse communities they serve. This hearing doesn’t do that.

Bettencourt is up for re-election in 2024. I’m unaware of a Democratic challenger yet, but I’ll let you guys know as soon as I hear about one.

We must continue to demand truth from our lawmakers. Chasing after propaganda is beneath the office they were elected to serve.