Kelly Hancock (left) and Ken Paxton
AUSTIN, Texas - Texas AG Ken Paxton is increasing his efforts to have acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock removed from office and replaced with the winner of the GOP primary election.
Paxton implied Thursday that his ability to legally defend the comptroller's office in TEFA cases can not return until Don Huffines takes the seat.
Paxton pushes further to replace Hancock
The latest:
Paxton now blames Hancock for having "single-handedly destroyed the OAG’s ability to defend the Comptroller’s office in the cases challenging the TEFA program."
He went on to defend his record in combating Islam in Texas, naming his numerous moves against the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, as well as enforcing SB 17.
Paxton asks Abbott to replace 'incompetent loser' acting comptroller
Texas AG Ken Paxton is calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to replace the acting comptroller, who he called an "incompetent loser," over a letter regarding Paxton's handling of a case related to Islamic schools in the state.
What they're saying:
Paxton included the following statement:
"Never before have I witnessed such a fundamentally unserious person be both an unbelievable embarrassment to the State and put his own interests above Texans. It would be easy to disregard Kelly Hancock's letter as nothing more than hotheaded, politically-motivated behavior from someone desperately clinging to relevancy, but it’s far worse than that: His actions hurt my office’s ability to defend the Comptroller’s office in these critical cases. He is either not capable of understanding the tremendous damage he is doing to Texas, or more likely, he simply does not care."
Attorney General Paxton continued, "I am continuing to call for Governor Abbott to immediately appoint Don Huffines as Comptroller. It’s unclear what exactly caused such rogue, reckless actions by Kelly Hancock, but Governor Abbott, the State of Texas, our school choice program, and every Texas child deserves better than the failed political gamesmanship of Chief Clerk Hancock. While Kelly Hancock’s shameful actions have destroyed the attorney-client relationship, thereby making it impossible for my office to defend him, I will continue to be laser focused on fighting for Texas kids by representing the other Defendants in ongoing cases that challenge the TEFA program."
Texas Islamic schools sue comptroller over exclusion from voucher program
Three private schools are suing the Texas leaders in charge of overseeing the state's school voucher program for excluding Islamic schools from being a part of the program.
What we don't know:
Hancock and Abbott have yet to respond to Paxton's statements.
What's next:
Huffines is set to face his Democratic opponent in the Nov. 3 general election. Hancock, by law, is set to serve in the position until a winner is decided.
Paxton calls for Hancock's replacement
The backstory:
Paxton said in his Tuesday statement that Abbott ought to remove Kelly Hancock and put Don Huffines, who won the recent GOP primary for the seat, in his place until the general election.
He called Hancock a "Never Trumper" and an "incompetent loser" after the acting comptroller sent a letter to Paxton's office that, among other things, took jabs at his handling of a case related to Islam in Texas.
Hancock's letter put a large amount of blame on Paxton for an Islamic school in Houston being temporarily eligible for the new state school voucher program. He asked Paxton to highlight the school's alleged ties to a group GOP leaders have labeled as terror-aligned, take steps to strip the school's corporate charter, and take further action against the allegedly terror-related Muslim Brotherhood group.
Hancock's letter heavily implies Paxton has poorly handled the crusade against Islam in Texas.
The Source: Information in this article comes from statements made by public servants.