On Tuesday, Empower Texans President, Michael Quinn Sullivan, released the full 64-minute recording of his June 12 meeting with House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Rep. Dustin Burrows. The recording is incredibly damning for both the Speaker and Burrows, and dozens of GOP lawmakers are calling for his resignation.
The now-infamous recording can be heard in full, and a full transcript has been provided by Empower Texans. In it, the quid pro quo of which Sullivan accused Bonnen is incredibly apparent, and ought to be very damning for the Speaker.
Rep. Phil Stephenson of Wharton, who was among those listed by Bonnen and Burrows to be targeted, told the Dallas Morning News, "I want him to resign. That’s what he needs to do. Time to cut the head off the snake."
Of Stephenson, Bonnen told Sullivan, "If Phil Stephenson is finding himself needing help in a primary, he's not getting $150,000 out of me. And what does that mean? Think about that for a while. They're left to find their own funding. They're in a pretty stuff spot."
Stephenson went on to say, "I don’t need his damned money, but if Bonnen doesn’t leave the Texas House, then he’s going to hurt the whole party. He and Burrows. Go home. You don’t need to be in the Legislature."
Other lawmakers targeted included Steve Allison, Trent Ashby, Ernest Bailes, Travis Clardy, Drew Darby, Kyle Kacal, Stan Lambert, Tan Parker, and John Raney.
Stephenson indicated that anywhere between 35 and 40 other GOP lawmakers would come out and demand Bonnen's resignation. While this would not make up a majority of the 83 House Republicans, it would severely harm his chances of getting the 76 votes required to retain the Speaker's gavel in 2021.
Bonnen's legal troubles do not end here. Though these are far more serious as they carry potentially criminal charges, Lone Star Gun Rights filed a civil lawsuit in federal court against Speaker Bonnon in May. Join LSGR today, and help us continue our fight against tyrants like Bonnen. Sign our petition against gun control, so we can dump them on Lt. Gov. Patrick's desk to show him we will not tolerate his calls for universal background checks in our State! We will not let tyrants make us unarmed subjects. Molon Labe!