The Texas Legislature went back to Austin today for its third special legislative session. And the tension between Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan grew after a news report that the head of a prominent conservative political action committee met with a white supremacist last week. The Texas Newsroom's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports.
According to The Texas Tribune, former state Rep. Jonathan Stickland — who now leads the influential Defend Texas Liberty PAC, met with Nick Fuentes, a white supremacist political commentator, on Friday.
In response, House Speaker Dade Phelan called on Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to return $3 million dollars in loans he received from the PAC. But Patrick says Phelan should step down, saying the Speaker hit rock bottom with his comments. Phelan says he’s not going anywhere.
“I didn’t take $3 million from a PAC that associates themselves with Nazis and Nazi sympathizers. That’s not my problem.”
This is the latest fight between the two Republican legislative leaders. Earlier this year, they publicly sparred over property taxes and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
I’m Sergio Martínez-Beltrán in Austin.