They are not even trying to hide it anymore.
Galveston County is being sued by a number of organizations for redrawing maps in 2021 that dismantled a minority district and created 4 majority white districts. Commissioner Joe Giusti was on the hot seat and testified that he knew his vote would eliminate the minority district. According the Galveston Daily News:
A Galveston County Commissioner testified Thursday he knew his vote for a redistricting map would eliminate the county’s sole majority-minority precinct.
“I was aware that voting for the map would eliminate the majority-minority district,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Joe Giusti said.
I’ve looked at Giusti’s campaign finance reports and they are interesting. I’ll publish that later. Many of these commissioners across the state are in pretty safe districts. They tend to be re-elected over and over again and they tend to think they are safe from having to follow the laws. Case in point, long term Commission Jerry Eversole in Harris County was fined $75,000 by the Texas Ethics Commission for stealing his donors money. He thought no one was looking until someone did and filed a complaint.
Back to Giusti. Giusti was found to be a member of The Oath Keepers by The Texas Tribune. The lead was recently convicted of seditious conspiracy and was sentenced to 18 years in jail for his role in the Jan 6 riot. The Oath Keepers was incorporated in 2009. Giusti claimed he was only in the group for a year but his campaign literature says something different. And now after claiming to have dumped his association with this extreme far right organization he is testifying about voting to end a minority district in Galveston County.
According to his literature he is a conservative, a gun nut, a husband, and a member of The Oath Keepers. #NoPlaceButTexas. Literally. They walk amongst us.
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