Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Says Senator He Demoted Over ‘lewd Comment' Is Corrosive Force in Texas Senate

Editor's Note: Following this story, there is a full transcript of our Jan. 23, 2019 interview with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he stripped committee chairmanships from a veteran senator not because of policy disagreements but due to bad behavior.In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Patrick lobbed new allegations against Amarillo GOP Sen. Kel Seliger, saying he's criticized fellow Republican senators and was disrespectful toward an unnamed female colleague. A recent "lewd comment" by Seliger, who has cultivated a reputation as a Republican maverick in part by defying Patrick, is emblematic of broader behavioral problems, the lieutenant governor alleged.  Continue reading...