September 7, 2023

They have no evidence. Can you say directed verdict?

Here’s what we learned on Thursday:

• Jeff Mateer, Ryan Bangert, and Ryan Vasser (members of the vast Federalist Society conspiracy) hired Johnny Sutton, George W. Bush’s “chief policy advisor” and handpicked U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas. You may remember Sutton for his prosecution of two Border Patrol agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.
• House Managers are still producing evidence. For example, they just produced some of Ryan Bangert’s text messages. Some of Bangert’s texts are unavailable (“I no longer have texts past one year.”).
• Bangert did not document his problems with Ken Paxton until the day that he went to the FBI and the Governor’s Office with his co-conspirators (September 30, 2020).
• When the co-conspirators visited with their FBI friends, it was a “roundtable” and the FBI did not meet with each individual co-conspirator. From the very beginning, this has been an echo chamber of lies.
• Mateer resigned from the AG’s Office. Bangert resigned from the AG’s Office. They were NOT fired!
• Since voluntarily leaving the AG’s Office, Bangert has worked directly with the AG’s Office on cases.
• The Mitte Foundation has been shady for a bit. Abbott as Attorney General sued the Mitte Foundation. What is a charity doing making a multimillion dollar private equity investment with Nate Paul? 
• Bangert searched for Johnny Sutton on his computer on September 22, 2020 – eight days before Bangert and the co-conspirators went to the FBI and the Governor’s Office. 
• Vassar drafted the Brandon Cammack contract. Even after learning that Paxton signed the Cammack contract, Vassar did not correct the misstatement with the FBI.
• All of the witnesses have said that they had a “good faith belief that the AG was engaged in illegal activity” based on reasonable conclusions. 
• Bombshell Testimony
  • Q. [by Mitch Little] You went to the FBI with your compatriots and reported the elected AG for a crime without any evidence.
  • A. [Ryan Vassar] That’s right.
  • Q. [by Mitch Little] Did you gain any after that?
  • A. [Ryan Vassar] I don’t recall if we had collected any evidence.
• Vassar testified that Mateer ran the office when Paxton was out of town. (Spoiler alert: This simply isn’t the law.) This is what the co-conspirators told themselves to try to defend their actions including removing Paxton from the Texas Attorney General letterhead.
• Vassar sent the secret grand jury subpoenas to his personal lawyer, Johnny Sutton, via his AG’s Office email address and then deleted the email (a government record). Vassar was fired after it was discovered that he tampered with a government document.

Questions

The co-conspirators wanted Paxton to meet with them on October 1, 2020 (after they met with the FBI and Governor’s Office). Were they going to record him at the meeting? What was the purpose of this meeting?

You said that the FBI meeting was a roundtable. Who spoke during this meeting? When did the meeting begin? When did it end? Where exactly did you meet with the FBI in September 2020?

You graduated in 2012 from South Texas College of Law, correct? And Brandon Cammack graduated in 2015 from the University of Houston Law School, correct? And at the time that you received Mr. Cammack’s contract, you were in leadership at the AG’s Office, right? At that time, you had been practicing law for eight years and Mr. Cammack had been practicing for five years, right? There’s not a big difference in five years and eight years of practice, right?

Have you ever voted in a Republican primary? If so, when? 

Since September 2020, has anyone ever promised any job to you?

Have you spoken with anyone about receiving any appointment from Greg Abbott? Anyone from Abbott’s appointment office? If so, who?

Have you spoken with Greg Abbott at all since September 2020 or anyone from his office? Has anyone spoken to the Governor’s office on your behalf? If so, who. When? Where? About what? 

Have you spoken with Dick Weekley at all since September 2020? If so, when? Where? About what? Has anyone spoken with Dick Weekley on your behalf? If so, who? When? What was said?

Have you spoken with Dick Trabulsi at all since September 2020? If so, when? Where? About what? Has anyone spoken with Dick Trabulsi on your behalf? If so, who? When? What was said?

Did you meet with the House Managers team? If so, when? How long did you meet with them? Was your meeting recorded?

Did you meet with Andrew Murr? If so, when? How long did you meet with him? Was your meeting recorded? Did you discuss the business court bill HB19 or SB1045 with Murr.

Have you spoken with anyone about a judicial appointment? 

Have you spoken with anyone about serving as a judge on the new business courts? Do you plan to apply for this position?

Have you spoken with anyone about serving as a judge on the new Fifteenth Court of Appeals? Do you plan to apply for this position? 

Have you taken a position on any legislation in Texas since September 2020? 

Did you take a position on House Bill 19 [the business courts bill]?

Did you take a position on Senate Bill 1045 [the Fifteenth Court of Appeals bill]?