Bell Slams Strayhorn Over Lobby Payments

As noted by Eye On Williamson County, Comptroller/Guv Candidate Carole Keeton McClellan Rylander Strayhorn has now stopped payments to both of the state’s outside lobbyists. But, not before Chris Bell had a chance to call her out and tell it like it is:

Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee Chris Bell on Thursday criticized Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn for not cutting off payments to both of the state’s outside lobbyists.

But Strayhorn said she did not have to because one firm has not been paid since October. That led the governor’s office to question Strayhorn’s research, saying the firm has been paid.

Strayhorn a day earlier had frozen $15,000-a-month payments to the Washington, D.C., lobby firm of Cassidy & Associates, saying she believed state money may have been misused for political purposes.

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Bell on Thursday said Strayhorn also should have cut off payments to Texas’ other outside lobbyists, the Federalist Group. The Washington-based group’s lead lobbyist for Texas is Drew Maloney, a former top aide to DeLay who had raised money to help Republicans take control of the Texas House in the 2002 elections.

“If she were really serious about shutting down the cash-and-carry system that (Gov.) Rick Perry has set up, she wouldn’t show favoritism to Tom DeLay’s good friends at the Federalist Group,” Bell said.

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