Harris County Resident and Texas Senator Borris Miles Financial Woes and Sexual Harassment Allegations

LIT: SEP 16, 2023

SEP 7, 2023 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: SEP 16, 2023

201568872 – HARRIS COUNTY vs. MILES, BORRIS L (A/K/A BORRIS LEE MILES) (Court 270)

APR 14, 2008 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: SEP 16, 2023

State Senator Borris Miles accused of sexual harassment

DEC 7, 2017 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: SEP 16, 2023

AUSTIN, Texas – A story in the news and opinion website, The Daily Beast, accuses two controversial Texas state senators of sexual harassment at the state capitol.

Mostly unnamed sources said in the article that Senators Boris Miles-(D) Houston, and Carlos Uresti-(D) San Antonio, engaged in inappropriate touches or comments toward women at the capitol over a period of years.

The story includes an interview with an intern identified only as “Lauren,” who says in May 2013, Miles approached her outside an Austin nightclub, extended a hand filled with cash, and asked her:

“B***h, you want to f*** with me tonight?”

She said she replied, “No, thank you,” and walked away.

An unnamed legislator is quoted as saying the woman told him about the incident at the time and that on a separate occasion, he was present when Miles yelled catcalls at women on an Austin street.

Here is a statement from Miles on the allegations:

“I have had the privilege of representing the constituents of District 146 and Senate District 13 for over 10 years.

“Because I’ve shown myself to be an effective voice of the people, I have made powerful enemies who will go to any length to destroy and disrupt my service. I will not continue to address anonymous accusations that attack my personal and professional character as an effective lawmaker.

“Sexual harassment is a serious offense and I plan to join my colleagues in the Senate in developing policy that allows all people due process and assurances they may work effectively in a fair and safe environment.

“The people expect me to do my best and I will continue to fight for them until they decide otherwise. I will not be deterred.”

Miles was indicted in 2008 on two counts of deadly conduct involving a gun. He was acquitted on both counts in 2009.

In a written statement, Uresti said he will support implementing comprehensive sexual harassment policy and training in the Senate as soon as possible, saying:

“First and foremost, the experiences of women who come forward should always be valued, and I do not take these accusations lightly. I whole-heartedly apologize if I have inadvertently made anyone, male or female, feel uncomfortable or demeaned, as that would never be my intention. The specific instances described in yesterday’s Daily Beast article are at best unfounded and, in at least one case, completely erroneous. I have provided the author with Facebook posts of my wife and I together during the same night as one of the anonymous accusations. The other instances would have happened over a decade ago and are simply too old for me to provide specific evidence to the contrary. Moving forward, I pledge to be more cautious in my interactions with men and women, staff, reporters, and lobbyists alike. Sexual harassment has no place in the Capitol or any workplace, and I will be joining my colleagues to implement a comprehensive sexual harassment policy and trainings in the Texas Senate as soon as possible.”

In Houston, the Harris County Republican chairman, Paul Simpson, called for a criminal investigation and possible censure of Miles.

Texas State Sen. Sylvia Garcia issued the following statement continuing her call for independent investigations for allegations of sexual assault and harassment by state lawmakers and employees of the Texas Legislature:

“I find the charges reported to be very alarming and I commend the brave individuals who have come forward about their experiences in the Texas Capitol and across the country. It’s a sad state of affairs when people feel their only option is talking to the press. There is no excuse for sexual harassment, discrimination, abuse or bullying. This is why I have called for independent investigations. Following the examples of others, I am now calling for a hotline to report abuse in Texas government to ensure there is an independent and transparent path to justice for people who have been harassed or assaulted and due process for all parties involved.”

200803463 – RIDO, NATHANIEL vs. MILES, BORRIS LEE (Court 280)

JAN 18, 2008 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: SEP 16, 2023

Sen. Carlos Uresti shares a restroom with a female TX lege staffer

State Rep. Miles to surrender after deadly conduct indictment

State Rep. Miles indicted on deadly conduct charges

APR 14, 2008 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: SEP 16, 2023

Texas AG Ken Paxton’s affair took a toll on office, a former staffer says at impeachment trial

SEP 11, 2023 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: SEP 16, 2023

“I told General Paxton quite bluntly it wasn’t my business who he was sleeping with, but when things bleed over into the office and into the state work, it becomes my business,” said Katherine Cary, the former chief of staff in Paxton’s office.

The affair is part of the abuse of power and bribery charges that Texas House Republicans have made against Paxton after years of alleged scandal and corruption. If convicted, he could be banned from holding office again in Texas. His fate is in the hands of the Republican-controlled Texas Senate, where a verdict could happen as soon as this week.

His wife, Angela Paxton, is a senator but is barred from voting in the proceedings. She sat at her desk on the chamber floor while Cary described how she warned Ken Paxton that his affair carried legal and political risks.

Paxton had the affair with a woman who worked for local developer Nate Paul, whose relationship with one of Texas’ most powerful figures is central to the impeachment trial. Through five days of testimony, five of Paxton’s former aides have testified how Paxton allegedly pressured them in various ways to help Paul, who was under FBI investigation and once gave Paxton a $25,000 campaign contribution.

Tony Buzbee, Paxton’s attorney, challenged Cary on cross examination about the importance an affair should have in an impeachment trial.

“Imagine if we impeached everyone in Austin who had an affair,” Buzbee said. “We’d be impeaching people for the next 100 years.”

Paxton, who has pleaded not guilty, is not required to be present for testimony and was again not in the Senate on Monday. Paxton was once a senator before becoming attorney general in 2015 and still has conservative allies in the chamber.

Cary was the first witness in the trial who was not one of eight former Paxton aides who reported him to the FBI in 2020. Later Monday, a former public corruption prosecutor in the district attorney’s office in Austin took the witness stand as the trial began a second week.

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is presiding over the trial, said as the trial resumed Monday that the case was on track to go to the jury as soon as later this week. Patrick also said there will be no more days off until the trial is resolved, raising the possibility that a decision could come over the weekend.

Paxton was indicted on felony securities fraud charges in 2015 and has been under FBI investigation since an extraordinary revolt by his top deputies five years later.

Mark Penley, one of those former deputies, took the witness stand first Monday and was the latest to recount allegations of Paxton pressuring them to help Paul, who had given Paxton a $25,000 campaign contribution.

Paul, who was indicted in June on charges of defrauding banks, had accused FBI agents and a judge of wrongdoing. Penley said he wanted no part of it.

“That we would investigate a federal magistrate judge, and federal prosecutors, is insane,” Penley said.