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Two Texas congressional members on Tuesday showed just how tight a line some GOP lawmakers are trying to walk as they seek answers to the recent chaos in Minneapolis while not faulting federal law enforcement on the front lines.
During a hearing on immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, made clear he was concerned about how to better protect federal agents facing dangerous conditions that he said one officer told him was similar to battlefields in the Iraq War.
Gonzales wants more bulletproof glass on vehicles and better equipment for federal agents to ensure they are protected. But moments later, he pressed Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration & Customs Enforcement, to have officers wear body cameras in the future and to release the footage to the public as local police do.
"I think transparency helps regain public trust," Gonzales said at the Homeland Security Committee hearing into ICE and border patrol activities. "Is there any plan to release any of the footage to the public?"
Lyons responded: "100%"
Moments earlier, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, an Austin Republican whose district stretches to Katy, at first defended federal officers in Minneapolis, even as their crackdown in the city has resulted in the death of two civilians.
"They're trying to remove a public safety threat from the United States of America," McCaul said. "That is their job."
But shortly after, McCaul issued strong criticism of former Border Patrol commander at large Greg Bovino, suggesting he exacerbated tensions on the ground.
"Agent Bovino came into the situation, and I'd say in fairness, he escalated the situation by the way that was handled," McCaul told Lyons.
Gonzales' and McCaul's criticism may have been reserved, but that of U.S. Rep. Al Green, a Houston Democrat, was anything but.
"I say lock her up," Green said of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Green said when Noem claimed protester Alex Pretti was brandishing a gun and was trying to hurt officers, she was rushing to judgment without a proper investigation. Pretti never unholstered his gun and appeared to be overpowered by officers when they began opening fire on him, according to witness video from the scene.
Green said the officers involved in shooting Pretti should be investigated and prosecuted, but added Noem should be too for her false accusations, which he said felt like a cover-up.
"The Secretary should be prosecuted right along with those officers," he said.
 | Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter |
Who's Up, Who's Down
A daily stock market-style report on key players in Texas politics.
Up: Mark Teixeira.
Days after President Donald Trump endorsed him, the Republican congressional candidate ended up with one less opponent on the March 3 primary ballot. Republican Kyle Sinclair, a health care executive and GOP activist, announced he's suspending his campaign and throwing his support behind Teixeira for the 21st Congressional District. Teixiera, a former professional baseball player, is among a crowded field of Republicans seeking to replace U.S. Rep. Chip Roy in the district, which stretches from San Antonio's North Side to Fredericksburg and Johnson City in the Texas Hill Country. "I appreciate his support, and I'm excited to work together to win this race and deliver results for the people of TX-21," Teixeira said of Sinclair.
Down: Bipartisanship.
An annual meeting of the nation's governors that has long served as a rare bipartisan gathering is unraveling after President Donald Trump excluded Democratic governors from White House events. The National Governors Association said it will no longer hold a formal meeting with Trump when governors are scheduled to convene in Washington later this month, after the White House planned to invite only Republican governors. On Tuesday, 18 Democratic governors also announced they would boycott a traditional dinner at the White House. The governors' group, which is scheduled to meet from Feb. 19-21, is one of the few remaining venues where political leaders from both major parties gather to discuss the top issues facing their communities.
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What is the future for THC? Can the virus threatening Texas cattle be stopped? I'll be talking about those questions and more when I sit down with Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and his GOP primary opponent Nathan Sheets for a Houston Chronicle/Texas Take Live virtual event on Feb. 12 starting at noon. Sign up here for the event.
What else I'm reading
The Hill Country floods are worsening mental health issues in Kerr County, a new report finds. Stephen Simpson of the Texas Tribune reports that the July 4 flood is expected to quadruple serious emotional disturbances in children and more than triple adult PTSD cases this year.
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