Burnt Orange Report

Insta-scandal!

By Jim Dallas

They spinnin, bloggas, they spinnin!

Houston Chronicle:

AUSTIN - Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn reduced tax bills by $461 million for companies contributing to her political campaign, a practice lawmakers should consider banning, according to a critical state audit released Thursday.

Strayhorn insists the audit, required under a state law passed in 2003, was inspired by Gov. Rick Perry, her Republican rival in the upcoming gubernatorial primary.

"It was a political witch hunt from the beginning, costing taxpayers unknown thousands of dollars, and it found nothing," Strayhorn said.

But Perry campaign spokesman Robert Black said the findings reveal a "growing cancer" at the comptroller's office and "possibly the biggest political scandal in a generation."

State Auditor John Keel issued the audit, which states it reached no conclusions and should not "imply wrongdoing" on the part of taxpayers or the agency.

However, the audit urges a number of legislative and regulatory reforms, including transferring authority for tax-dispute hearings from an administrative law judge appointed by the comptroller to the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

"While we found no evidence of preferential treatment, this arrangement could present the appearance that hearings are not processed in an objective and impartial manner and that independence could be impaired," the audit said.

Read further for fun and excitement about our pal John Sharp.

As far as I can tell, there's not actually any scandal at all (and that's what the auditor said), but to see the Perry folks calling it the "biggest scandal in a generation" (because, you know, the Governor would never peddle influence) and the Strayhorn folks calling it a "witch hunt" (because, you know, the Comptroller would never use audits for political purposes)... well, it makes for great entertainment.