Texas Governor Wants Disgraced GOP Congressman To Pay For Special Election

Former Congressman Blake Farenthold (R)

The governor of Texas wants Republican Blake Farenthold to pay for the special election necessary to replace the now-former congressman after his sudden resignation three weeks ago.

It was revealed in December that Farenthold had used taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit.

Initially, the Texas Republican signaled he would not seek re-election this fall and promised to repay the $84,000 funds.

But he never repaid the money and suddenly resigned from Congress earlier this month in an attempt to avoid writing that $84K check.

From HuffPost:

The House Ethics Committee was about to rule against Farenthold in its investigation into whether he sexually harassed members of his staff, used official money for campaign purposes and lied in previous testimony to the committee, according to the office of Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.).

The committee gave Farenthold a heads-up about its ruling, which it is legally required to do before issuing a decision, so he quit, per Speier’s office. Speier, who is not a member of the committee, has been one of Farenthold’s biggest critics and a vocal advocate for changing how sexual harassment allegations are handled in Congress.

By stepping down, Farenthold was able to avoid whatever punishment the committee would have handed down.

Farenthold's district must now hold a special election June 30 and Gov. Greg Abbott wants him to pony up the $84,000 to help pay for the election.

Life comes at you fast, huh, Mr. Farenthold?

RT to tell Blake Farenthold to pay for the special election that had to be called to fill the seat he resigned from because of his disgraceful conduct. Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for his misdeeds. #txlege @Elect_Blake https://t.co/TATimZEkaz

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 25, 2018

NEW: @GovAbbott has sent a letter to Blake Farenthold demanding that he "cover all costs" for the special election to fill his seat. Abbott wants Farenthold to use the $84,000 in taxpayer money that he used to settle sexual harassment claim. #TX27

— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) April 25, 2018