Charlie Geren accuses private citizen of "Embezzlement"

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."
Ephesians 5:11

Gadzooks; from Michael Quinn Sullivan's personal blog:

Earlier today I received an email from a reporter at the Texas Tribune. The reporter is working on a profile of conservative State Rep. Scott Turner, who is running against Straus for the speakership. The reporter wanted my comments about a quote from “Republican” State Rep. Charlie Geren of Fort Worth.

Rather than address Turner’s candidacy and the issues he has raised about House governance, Geren and Straus are making their campaign about me. Geren told the reporter he was looking forward to using a Straus win “to show Tim Dunn how much money Michael Quinn Sullivan is embezzling from him.” (Tim is the chairman of Empower Texans’ board of directors.)

Embezzlement is a crime in Texas, one for which I have never been accused or convicted. So there’s Charlie Geren, recklessly committing per se defamation.

....

While I appreciate that the reporter didn’t want to be complicit in defamation, there is a recurring theme at play in the Straus Team: they bully, they accuse, they attack, and the media plays along or looks the other way.

But let’s go to the substance of the speakership race here. Joe Straus and Charlie Geren want to ignore the significant opposition to their failed leadership from Texas conservatives.

The GOP executive committees of Texas’ largest counties have endorsed Scott Turner’s candidacy, as have a large number of the State Republican Executive Committee members and grassroots groups from around the state. Joe Straus’ speakership has been rejected at every turn by conservative activists. House members supporting Straus demonstrate their allegiance is to the Austin establishment and not their constituents.

....

Joe Straus and his cronies represent those bad old days. They are upset that more and more Texans are seeing their fouls and responding to their strike-outs.

 Read the whole thing here.