Texans for Public Justice files ethics complaint about King Street Patriots and KSP/True The Vote

Texans for Public Justice (TPJ) filed a formal complaint with the state ethics commission Monday alleging that a Houston tea party spinoff has violated Texas’ prohibition on corporate campaign contributions, according to a news release from the non-profit watchdog.

TPJ alleges that non-profits King Street Patriots and KSP/True The Vote (KSP/TTV) have made repeated in-kind contributions to the Harris County GOP and multiple Republican candidates, potentially worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the sworn complaint, which was also referred to the Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office because it alleges potential felonies.

Citing reports from the Texas Independent, as well as other evidence, TPJ’s complaint asserts that KSP/TTV has engaged in illegal corporate political activities, including “recruiting partisan poll watchers for the Harris County Republican Party,” promoting GOP candidates for office through public forums, and producing and distributing videos of those forums.

Previously, the Texas Independent has reported: KSP/TTV has an agreement with the Harris County GOP (but not local Democrats) to train poll worker volunteers; KSP/TTV volunteers are not expecting voter fraud but will be prepared to address it on Election Day; KSP/TTV’s GOP-only candidate forums may break state or federal laws, according to experts; and, TPJ says video of a Texas House candidate speaking at KSP is evidence of violations.