AUSTIN (AP) – A district attorney said embattled Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen won’t face criminal charges for offering House media credentials in exchange for campaign help.
Brazoria County District Attorney Jeri Yenne released a statement Thursday calling Bonnen’s actions and statements “repugnant” but said there isn’t enough evidence to warrant criminal prosecution.
Bonnen was facing a state police investigation into allegations of misconduct after the release of a secretly recorded conversation in which he asked Conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan to target members of his own party in the 2020 primaries and used foul language to disparage Democrats.
Earlier this week, Bonnen announced he will not run for re-election as speaker or his House seat after more than 30 House Republicans called for his resignation.
The scandal has thrown Republicans into disarray at a time when their state dominance is slipping.
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