County Judge Doyal Cleared Of Ethics Complaint

CONROE, TX – The Texas Ethics Commission has cleared Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal from an ethics complaint filed over a political video filmed in Doyal’s office in May 2017. Judge Doyal said he appreciates the commission’s investigation and actions that have finally cleared his name of a baseless political smear.

“I am thankful the ethics commission did a thorough investigation and determined there were no grounds to this baseless complaint,” Doyal said.

The judge said depictions of elected officials in their offices have been part and parcel of running for political office for decades; numerous elected officials, from the local level to statewide elective office, have utilized photographs of themselves in their official offices in campaign communications.

The complaint was filed by Kelli Cook, who has allegedly been involved in several anti-Republican campaigns targeting Doyal and other prominent GOP leaders in Montgomery County. Doyal called the allegation a frivolous attempt to smear his good name, and the names of other Republican leaders.

“These same tactics are being deployed right now by Democrats at the national level,” Doyal said. “It is high time that local Republicans reject these political smear campaigns, whether they come from the right or the left.”

In June 2017 the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office declined to file criminal charges against Doyal or even to present those claims to a grand jury regarding the political video.

According to Texas Election Code, Section 255.003, an officer or employee of a political subdivision may not spend or authorize the spending of public funds for a communication describing a measure if the communication contains information that is sufficiently substantial and important as to be reasonably likely to influence a voter.

A violation of the section is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a possible fine not to exceed $4,000.

(For more news and information like this, subscribe to Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Image: Bryan Kirk/Patch

Send your news tips and story ideas to bryan.kirk@patch.com