AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Six Democrats in the Texas delegation in the U.S. House are asking for a federal probe of “possible unethical and illegal actions” at a state economic development fund.
U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro, Sheila Jackson Lee, Gene Green, Al Green, Ruben Hinojosa (ee-noh-HOH’-sah) and Marc Veasey signed a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder last week about the Texas Enterprise Fund.
The fund’s stated aim is to help create jobs, but a recent state audit found it gave about $200 million in grants to companies that hadn’t sought them. The lawmakers want a federal investigation into whether that violates state law. They also want Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Republican front-runner for governor, investigated for denying a Dallas Morning News information request that might have raised these issues sooner.
