Texas Rangers execute search warrants at Harris County administration building
Harris County Judge Lina HidalgoHOUSTON — State authorities executed search warrants Friday morning at the offices of at least two members of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's staff, KHOU 11 News has learned.
Texas Rangers were at the offices inside the Harris County Administration Building, sources told KHOU 11 News.
The sources also said the investigation is related to an $11 million vaccine outreach contract that was canceled by Hidalgo late last year. They were searching for county-issued computers and devices related to the issue.
A spokesperson for the Texas Rangers confirmed the warrants' execution and said they were served at the request of the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
A spokesperson with the Harris County District Attorney's Office confirmed the warrants were issued but gave no other details.
“A judge signed search warrants, which are legal authorization to search for and seize potential evidence of a crime," Dane Schiller with the Harris County District Attorney's Office said. "Out of fairness for all parties involved, we have no additional comment at this time.”
A spokesperson with Hidalgo's office referred questions to her personal attorney, Ashlee McFarlane.
KHOU 11 News has reached out to McFarlane for comment.
Within hours of the raid, candidates for Harris County Judge in the upcoming elections reached out to KHOU with statements.
“This controversial deal that has never passed the “smell test” happened over 6 months ago and Harris County taxpayers still don't know the truth," a spokesperson for Republican candidate Alexandra Del Moral Mealer said in a statement. "Time and time again, we see that Lina Hidalgo prioritizes political patronage over the interests of Harris County. This is shameful behavior by our County Judge. It shouldn't take subpoenas to force Lina Hidalgo to tell the truth about an $11 million contract given to a political crony. Leadership starts with accountability - it can't always be someone else's fault. At least voters will have the chance to replace Lina.”
Mealer's opponent in the May 24 Republican Primary runoff, Vidal Martinez, also released a statement.
"After months of withholding evidence while under a criminal investigation, Lina Hidalgo’s office is being raided by law enforcement including Texas Rangers and have seized boxes of documents and evidence on the Elevate Strategies case where Lina awarded an $11 million contract to her political crony," Martinez said. "In order [to] restore confidence in our county government, we once again call on Lina Hidalgo to resign immediately. As a former federal prosecutor and international attorney, I have spent decades handling national and worldwide investigations on corruption, and as County Judge, I will ferret out corruption at Commissioner’s Court.”
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