On Thursday, April 3, 2025, Covering Katy News reported that a bill passed by the Texas Senate may significantly impact the criminal case against Fort Bend County Judge KP George. George was indicted last year for allegedly fabricating racist attacks on social media to garner sympathy for his campaign and to portray his opponents as racists.
The legislation in question, Senate Bill 987, responds to a ruling by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that mandates prosecutors obtain approval from the Texas Ethics Commission before filing criminal charges against politicians for ethics violations. This legal requirement has complicated Judge George’s case, as his attorney has argued for dismissal on the grounds that prosecutors did not secure the necessary approval before bringing charges. While a judge ruled in favor of the prosecutors, George has appealed the decision to the Fourteenth Court of Appeals.
The allegations against George involve collaboration with a staff member, Taral Patel, to orchestrate fake racist incidents aimed at discrediting his opponents. When the prosecutors sought permission from the ethics commission to indict George, they moved forward with charges after not receiving a timely response, as the statute of limitations was approaching expiry.
Senate Bill 987, co-authored by Republican Senators Paul Bettencourt of Houston and Brian Birdwell of Granbury, aims to remove the requirement for prosecutors to seek ethics commission approval prior to pursuing charges against politicians for campaign law violations. Bettencourt described the bill as a common-sense solution, arguing that the legislature did not intend for all matters to be handled exclusively through the ethics commission.
The bill passed the Texas Senate with a vote of 28-3 and is now set to be considered by the Texas House of Representatives.
The court case that prompted the legislative action involves Washington County politician Robbie Gail Charette, who faced allegations related to financial irregularities in paperwork and political advertisements. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had previously ruled in favor of the ethics commission’s authority over certain campaign finance and political advertising laws but has agreed to rehear the Charette case, with oral arguments scheduled for April 29.
Neither Chad Dick, George’s attorney, nor the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office has commented on the implications of the newly proposed Senate bill.
In light of the Charette ruling, the ethics commission had enacted an emergency rule allowing for the immediate referral of cases for prosecution upon receiving complaints, a measure that was formally adopted in early March.
Source: Covering Katy News
