The Texas legislature's disgraceful treatment of Wallace Hall

Erick Erickson:

Wallace Hall is a University of Texas Regent appointed by Gov. Rick Perry. He is presently facing impeachment and possible jail time for uncovering what looks and smells like systematic corruption in the enrollment process of the University of Texas system due to interference from members of the Texas legislature. The Speaker of the Texas House is implicated. The Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee has decided to retire. A powerful state senator is in the crosshairs. The heads of the University of Texas may be involved. And the media, both in Texas and nationally, is largely silent.

Normally, the media would be all over a story like this. It is Texas. It involves allegations of bipartisan corruption with Republican ring leaders. And it looks like there could be a cover up. But a number of media outlets in Texas most likely to kick off coverage of this scandal get solid ad revenue from one of the players in the scandal. So Wallace Hall heads to impeachment while Texas’s reporters turn a blind eye.

The media always protects its precious. In this case their precious is profit, not Obama. This story provides one answer to the question of who watches the watchers: not the media if they’re given part of the spoils.

It all began when Wallace Hall dared to do the unthinkable — his job. He began asking questions about enrollment practices in the University of Texas system. In particular, he wanted to know about the University of Texas law school. Within weeks of his investigation beginning, he had identified members of the Texas legislature applying pressure to the UT system for their friends and families’ benefit. Two weeks later those same legislators began impeachment proceedings against him. Now the legislators also want him carted off to jail for uncovering the corruption.

In essence, Wallace Hall found that qualified applicants to the University of Texas system get shoved aside for less qualified students who have political connections.
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No wonder the people pushing this mess are so desperate to get Hall to resign.  If they go forward with the impeachment, much of this corruption will surface in any trial.  Hall is right to fight this travesty and the media needs to start digging into the facts of the case.