By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – Democrat Bill White is accusing appointees of Gov. Rick Perry of pressuring professional staff of the Texas teacher retirement system to make potentially risky investments that gave business to politically connected companies.
A government whistleblower memo White's campaign released Tuesday describes a series of ethical lapses and insider deals at the $100 billion Teacher Retirement System of Texas, where private investment managers that made huge contributions to Perry allegedly got special treatment.
The leaked memo was written by a former TRS director of private market investments. Executives associated with the companies have given thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to Perry, records show.
White is treating the memo as an October surprise in the 2010 governor's race, and he plans a news conference Tuesday. Neither the Perry campaign nor TRS immediately responded to calls for comment.
Link to White's Press Release With Memo(s): http://www.billwhitefortexas.com/blog/001697.php
Testimony ends for day in Fort Hood gunman hearing
Testimony has ended for the day in a military hearing to determine if a Fort Hood Army psychiatrist should stand trial for the worst mass shooting at an American military base.
Maj. Nidal Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.
Two 911 calls were played in court Tuesday and nine witnesses testified, many of them soldiers.
A civilian nurse said three young soldiers showed no fear as a lone gunman approached them during the Nov. 5 rampage.
Hasan remains jailed. There is no bail in the military justice system. The hearing resumes on Wednesday.
Perry defends decision to skip debate
Republican Gov. Rick Perry says the voters of Texas aren't missing out because of his refusal to debate Democrat Bill White.
White along with Libertarian Kathie Glass and Green Party candidate Deb Shafto are meeting in Austin on Tuesday night for a debate organized by major newspapers and public television station KLRU.
Perry has said he won't debate White because he hasn't released all his tax returns from his years in public service. White says Perry is scared to answer questions in a debate.
Perry, after a speech in Abilene, said he's reaching more Texans through his regular media interviews than he would in a televised debate. He says he's not sure that Texans are paying much attention to a debate.