Beto O’Rourke.Photo: Gary Miller/Getty
A Dallas billionaire is suingBeto O’Rourkefor defamation over O’Rourke’s criticism of his chief political opponent, Texas Gov.Greg Abbott, and energy companies who made money during adeadly 2021 winter storm— and then made campaign contributions after.
The lawsuit, filed Feb. 22, claims the Democratic candidate for governor “intentionally, repeatedly, and widely disseminated his deliberate and defamatory falsehoods” in speeches, interviews and on social media to “publicly humiliate” Energy Transfer CEO Kelcy Warren.
In challenging the Republican governor in the upcoming election, O’Rourke hasfocused on the failure of the Texas power gridin February 2021, which leftmillions of residents without power, water and heat as temperatures plunged to historic lows.
Hundreds of Texans died during the storm,the state found.
Energy Transfer reportedlymade $2.4 billionoff the disaster as demand for gas soared. Months later, Warren gave $1 million to Abbott’s reelection campaign. Though Warren has donated to Republican campaigns in the past — including Abbott’s —The Texas Tribunereportsit was his largest contribution to the governor’s campaign.
The lawsuit states the timing and size of the check Warren cut was related to Abbott’s “competitive” primary challengers.
Both Abbott and O’Rourkeeasily won their primary racesearlier this month. A spokesperson for Gov. Abbott released a statement to say his campaign is “in no way involved” in Warren’s defamation suit,The Dallas Morning Newsreported.
Eric Gay/AP/Shutterstock; LM Otero/AP/Shutterstock
“The accusations go well beyond the sorts of vague and generalized accusations of political and corporate corruption that are often thrown around,” Warren’s lawsuit argues. “Rather, they focus on a particular person, a particular campaign contribution, at a specific point in time, and a particular purported favor done in exchange for the contribution.”
O’Rourke defended himself at a press conference in Dallas on Monday, claiming he was being sued for “telling the truth and connecting the dots between the profits [Warren] made, the contributions he’s then made to Greg Abbott and the policy that has been followed,” according to news reports.
O’Rourke said he was “very confident about our chances to prevail in court, and I think it’s another opportunity for us to share the truth with the people of Texas.”
On Twitter, he said he “won’t back down.”
“Greg Abbott and his top donors don’t want us talking about the fact that he took $4.6 million in campaign checks after allowing corporations to make billions in illegal profits while Texans froze to death in their homes,“O’Rourke tweeted Monday.
source: people.com
