Gov. Greg Abbott Blames DPS Head for Botched Review of Voter Rolls

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sure must like David Whitley, his embattled secretary of state. After all, the governor's been willing to throw another top state official under the bus on Whitley's behalf.

After a bungled review of the voter rolls that resulted in a national embarrassment and multiple lawsuits, Abbott isn't blaming Whitley, who oversaw the process, but Steve McCraw, the longtime head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, according to a Texas Tribune report.

During a recent radio interview, Abbott blasted McCraw for not “adequately” warning Whitley that the DPS data used in the controversial voter review was “admittedly flawed," according to the Tribune. Further, the governor accused McCraw of making "unacceptable" mistakes.

In case you haven't been following the controversy, the review in question is the one launched by Whitley's office that flagged 95,000 Texas voters for scrutiny, many simply for being naturalized U.S. citizens. A federal judge in San Antonio recently issued an order stopping counties from pursuing purges based on the flawed review.

Whitley, an Abbott appointee and longtime aide, is facing a bruising confirmation hearing over the debacle. Enough Democrats have now signaled they plan to vote against Whitley to place his approval in serious doubt.

“I think the governor is either misinformed or he’s trying to save his nominee despite what the facts are,” said Chad Dunn, one of the civil rights lawyers suing the state over the review told the Tribune. “I don’t think there’s any evidence to support the governor’s comments.”

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