After Secret Recording Release Texas GOP Speaker Dennis Bonnen Drops Re-Election Bid
AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — It's been less than a week since the release of a secretly recorded conversation in which Dennis Bonnen told members of his own party that President Donald Trump "is killing us" and called a female lawmaker "vile." Now the first-term Texas GOP House Speaker has announced he will not seek re-election.
Bonnen says in a statement Tuesday "it is clear that I can no longer seek re-election" as either a state representative or house speaker.
The Texas Republican Caucus had condemned Bonnen's remarks. Eventually more than 30 House Republicans had either called for Bonnen's resignation or had pulled support for him.
The recorded conversation is at the center of an ongoing state police investigation into whether Bonnen improperly offered House media credentials in exchange for campaign help. It's also thrown Republicans into disarray at a time when their state dominance is slipping.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
