President Donald Trump slammed Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan for obstructing an election audit by standing in the way of forensic audit bill SB 47.
The bill, put forth by Republican Senator Paul Bettencourt, takes aim at establishing election integrity in the state of Texas by providing an opportunity for elected officials, political leaders, candidates, and judges to demand audits of election results. The bill would also reportedly allow politicians to demand that the Texas Secretary of State review any alleged election irregularities.
According to Trump, SB 47 should immediately be moved to the floor for a vote. “The speaker knows the bill will overwhelmingly pass the House with Republican support,” Trump stated.
In addition, Speaker Phelan previously opposed revising Senate Bill 1, which reduced the penalty of illegal voting from a second-degree felony, dropping it to a Class A misdemeanor. Republican Governor Greg Abbot added an agenda item to the third special session of the legislature in September, requesting for a reversal of the bill, which was originally passed in August.
Trump said, “While standing in the way of a real election audit, Speaker Phelan just weakened the penalty for voting illegally in the state of Texas from a felony to a misdemeanor, siding with the Democrats and calling their amendment that makes a mockery of our election laws ‘thoughtful.’”
Texans, Trumps said, are tired of the weak RINO leadership in the State House. “Texas is a very red state, even more than people know,” he continued. Speaker Phelan’s refusal to allow the bill to go to the House for a vote is frustrating for those fighting for election integrity and advocating for audits. “If this doesn’t pass soon, we look forward to seeing him [Phelan] in the Texas primary,” Trump concluded. “It will get done one way, or the other!”
If SB 47 does pass the House, it will be a sizable victory for proponents of election integrity.