Hardline GOP Activist Says Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen Wanted Him to Target Certain Republicans

AUSTIN — A hardline conservative activist has accused Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen of offering him extra access in exchange for targeting a group of fellow GOP incumbents in next year’s primary election. Michael Quinn Sullivan, the activist and frequent Bonnen critic who runs the conservative political group Empower Texans, published a blog Thursday night that alleges Bonnen and Republican Caucus chairman Dustin Burrows offered to give writers for his website House media credentials in 2021 if the group went after a list of Republican incumbents, some of whom challenged Bonnen’s bid for speaker this year.According to Sullivan, at least one North Texas Republican was included in that list: Denton County Rep. Tan Parker. The others are Reps. Steve Allison of San Antonio, Trent Ashby of Lufkin, Ernest Bailes of Shepherd, Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches, Drew Darby of San Angelo, Kyle Kacal and John Raney of College Station, Stan Lambert of Abilene and Phil Stephenson of Wharton.  Continue reading...