Texas lawmakers use state jets for personal, political gain [Video]

Records show Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan used a state jet for a football game and political fundraiser. Other lawmakers took flights for family graduations.

HOUSTON — Family graduations, campaign fundraisers and a trip that ended in a lawmaker “ghost voting” in a historic impeachment are some of the questionable flights KHOU 11 Investigates found after digging through hundreds of Texas Department of Transportation travel logs and social media posts.

TxDOT owns four executive-style jets that are supposed to be used only for official state business, but records reveal some lawmakers may have used the perk for their own personal or political gain.

“A public official should serve the public interest,” University of Houston professor Dan Engster said. “The main concern is that you would want just greater transparency to the public.”

Take Speaker of the Texas House Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont. He hopped on a TxDOT private jet in September …

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