The Harris County Republican Party is pushing back on the attacks on State Rep. Jim Murphy:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
For more information contact:
Vlad Davidiuk
713-806-5641
[email protected]
KPRC’s Diaz must come clean about who’s really behind irresponsible attacks on GOP state lawmakers
Reporter uses Bernie Madoff ally, left wing activists as ethics and legal sources
HOUSTON – KPRC-TV’s Mario Diaz is acting as a tool of left-wing organizations in his biased attacks on Houston area Republican elected officials. Paul Simpson, Chairman of the Harris County Republican Party, calls on this new KPRC reporter to disclose the left-wing and partisan organizations feeding such information to him, and to acknowledge that the sources he touts are one-sided, biased, and partisan.
“Mario Diaz is using a bizarre lineup of Ponzi-schemers and liberal partisans to attack Houston GOP elected officials,” said Simpson. “He has an agenda. Mr. Diaz should disclose who’s really behind these attacks. How does a KPRC reporter in Houston come to rely on a former Bernie Madoff ally from Florida, and a former Obama operative and California Democrat Party field director, yet not disclose their questionable backgrounds? Who is feeding these sources to this new KPRC reporter?”
In recent days, Mr. Diaz has aired a series of misleading partisan attacks on State Representative Jim Murphy. Their on-air sources have included:
- KPRC’s February 21st story cited “tax expert” Michael D. Sullivan, of Fort Lauderdale Florida, who was part of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme scandal.
Mr. Diaz failed to disclose that for years Sullivan ran a feeder fund for Bernie Madoff out of his office on Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. Sullivan’s new company Fresh Start Tax LLC is located at 3696 Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. http://www.businessinsider.com/2009/1/meet-bob-sullivan-another-madoff-money-man
The Florida conservator representing Madoff victims also named Michael D. Sullivan: and his new company Fresh Start Tax LLC in a subpoena here:http://www.floridaconservator.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/04.26.13-Notice-of-Intent-to-Serve-Document-Subpoena-Upon-Michael-D.-Sullivan-Associates-Inc..pdf
- On February 8th, on KPRC, Mario Diaz cited as an “ethics lawyer,” local Democratic donor and plaintiffs’ lawyer Cris Feldman. But Mr. Diaz failed to disclose that Feldman had contributed more than $12,000 to the Harris County Democratic Party in 2018 alone. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?two_year_transaction_period=2018&contributor_name=feldman%2C+cris&min_date=01%2F01%2F2017&max_date=02%2F22%2F2018
- Mr. Diaz’s KPRC report also cited left-wing community organizer Bay Scoggin, formerly of the California Democratic Party and Barack Obama’s Organizing for America, to opine on Texas’s conservative and part time legislature. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bay-scoggin-59a6a9138/
Lawmakers in Texas are expected to have real jobs and are paid just $7,200 per year, compared to California’s liberal, activist, and full-time legislature paid $104,118. On February 7th Mario Diaz failed to mention Obama operative Scoggin’s partisanship, breathlessly noting that “it took Bay Scoggin three seconds to sum up” his attack on Texas and Texas Republicans.
“It’s shocking that Mario Diaz relies on these blatantly partisan sources for his attacks. We call upon him to disclose who brought him these flawed sources, and to stop his misleading attacks on Houston Republicans.”
Harris County Republican Party
http://www.harriscountygop.com/
I love it that the party is fighting back for its elected officials.
Republican Ann Witt, who ran against Jim Murphy in 2012, reported the same thing about Jim Murphy 6 years ago. I would hardly call her a tool of left-wing organizations, a ponzi-schemer, or a Democrat party hack. She was just a retired school teacher, who did some research on her opponent. Surprising that it took 6 years for the rest of Harris County to catch up. “Witt financed mailers criticizing Murphy for his work at the Westchase District, a state-created economic development agency that has tax-levying power. She argues the arrangement violates a constitutional prohibition against lawmakers holding down a second state job and accuses Murphy of “ripping off taxpayers.”
Murphy notes that he operates as an independent consultant and has clients besides the Westchase District. He says the arrangement is perfectly legal. He describes the attacks as deliberately misleading and suggests they are evidence that his opponent has a “character flaw.”
https://www.texastribune.org/2012/05/09/rep-jim-murphy-faces-primary-battle/
The party’s press release sounds hysterical and desperate.
Texas lawmakers are part-time (thank goodness), and have real jobs in the real world.
As for Murphy, the Texas Attorney General in 2005 opined that, ‘the Texas Constitution DOES NOT prohibit a member of the Texas Legislature from also working for compensation as an independent contractor for a municipal management district’ like Westchase. KPRC ignores this 13-year old fact. https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/opinions/50abbott/op/2005/pdf/ga0386.pdf
The issue is that he is paid a fee for successfully lobbying state agencies for funding, It seems TXDOT in particular. Although his work as the Westchase GM is well known, KPRC reported this after getting documents. It is not disputed.
His salary of $312,000 seems excessive for a small entity of $3 million in revenue and about 10 employees. But of course the governing body isn’t elected by anyone and the property owners who pay the tax have no effective representation if they don’t like the arrangement.
Also, the Westchase District inked an almost half billion dollar chapter 380 agreement which will divert city of Houston property tax dollars to this tiny entity over thirty years. The deal signed at the end of 2014 is like a TIRZ with a base value year and a boundary. The value year was back dated to 2011. I’ve never seen a public report on this transfer from Westchase or the City of Houston.
The other serious concern is that Murphy is the Chair of the special Districts committee which has oversight of the very entity he manages.
I worked with a small group for eighth months on reform legislation for special districts. We had several house sponsors and a senate sponsor. Then Murphy was named Chair and we knew our efforts would go nowhere. Several related bills were filed but it was theater and nothing moved forward.
Finally, the Democrats are trying to follow in Murphy’s footsteps as Natalie Hurtado a consultant for the International district and part of notorious Hawes Hill LP is running for HD126. Her winning the seat would be a disaster for open transparent government.
Whats your reply to kprc’s counter commentary?
://www.click2houston.com/news/harris-county-gop-doesnt-dispute-facts-in-kprcs-reports-on-rep-jim-murphy
Since my last post was deleted, I will put it more politely. I do not see how Jim Murphy is a public servant or deserving of any party affiliation at all. He seems to be engaged in classic rent-seeking behavior, using a public post to enrich himself. The unstable nations of Latin America are deluged with rent-seeking politicians. I do not care to be like Mexico (pemex) or Venezuela in this regard. I don’t care if Mario Diaz has an agenda – the public needs to know when a public official is using his position to unfairly extort a high salary from taxpayers at his complete mercy, with no oversight whatsoever. The Chronicle does not report corruption and this blog defends it for short term partisan gain. This is revolting, embarrassing and deserving of a 100% mea culpa from the author – Lord knows we will never receive one from Jim Murphy. A flimsy, partisan AG opinion notwithstanding, Jim is violation the plain language of the Texas constitution. He has got to go, and go in disgrace.
I am a Republican but I refuse to defend the indefensible.
Jim Murphy specifically and the Special Districts in general both need to go.
We shouldn’t tolerate any elected official who behaves in this manner. If it isn’t illegal, it should be.
Just an observation: It seems that Jim Murphy is being paid (albeit a pittance, but he knew that going it) to be a Representative to the State Legislature. As such he is charged with the responsibility to look out for and serve the best interests of the State and his constituents – all of them.
It also appears that he is being paid substantial amounts to lobby the Legislature to pass legislation that specifically benefits a specific group of individuals. And, he gets bonuses when he is successful.
Somebody please explain to me, in simple language, how this is not a gross conflict of interest. He’s literally working for both sides. I don’t care whether he’s a Republican, a Democrat or a purple rabbit. At the very least this has the appearance (and the smell) of impropriety – regardless of it’s “legality”. I can’t comprehend how it is in any way defensible.
So should Paxton go after Murphy soon while there is time to replace him
or will he let Ogg, or the Bexar DA, nail him and Westchase in October,
perhaps costing CD7 and CD2 and HD133?
What say ye, wise ones?