Watch Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo get called out for withholding millions from the County’s District Attorneys office.
Transcript:
I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE, BOY, DO I WISH WE TREATED CRIME LIKE WE DID COVID-19. WE HAVE ANALYZED IT ON A WEEKLY BASIS TO SEE WHERE WE WERE AND WHAT WORKED AND DIDN'T WORK.
NOT ONE INDIVIDUAL HAS ALL THE ANSWERS.
HOWEVER, WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING AND THE LIVES THAT ARE BEING CAUSED BY THIS, IT ANGERS ME.
WE HAVE SO MANY RESOURCES GOING TOWARD THE LIBRARY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. OUR NIECE, MY SISTER'S DAUGHTER, WILL NEVER GO TO THAT LIBRARY. THE SIDEWALKS, SHE WILL NEVER WALK THEM. FOR US TO SEE MONEY SPENT LIKE THAT IS INSULTING. WHEN YOU LOSE LIVES, IT IS A LIFE-LONG LOSS. OUR OTHER FRUSTRATION IS WE ARE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND A SYSTEM THAT WE DON'T TRULY UNDERSTAND UNTIL TODAY. BUT WE'RE TRYING.
AND IT IS SO COMPLICATED. >> TOM RAMSEY: PLEASE CONTINUE.
>> I WANT YOU TO KNOW WHAT LITTLE I HAVE FOUND AND THAT IS THAT THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE WAS INCREASED 91%.
THAT WAS CRAZY TO ME BECAUSE I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR A D.A. AS WELL. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW OUR CASE, BUT THE PERSON THAT KAOELD ARLENE AND PUT A BULLET IN HER HEAD WAS [INAUDIBLE] AND A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT I WOULD BE UPSET WITH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
I AM SAD AND UPSET. I AM WOMAN ENOUGH TO STAND HERE AND PUT MY DIFFERENCES ASIDE EVEN THOUGH THEY IN A SENSE FAILED OUR FAMILY AND SAY I HAVE DOZENS OF FRIENDS THAT HAVE BECOME FAMILY TO US THAT STILL NEED JUSTICE.
HAVING 130,000 BACKLOG CASES IS UNACCEPTABLE.
VIVIEN KING WAS HERE AT LAST COMMISSIONERS' COURT.
THE $7 MILLION THAT KIM OGG FOUGHT FOR SHE RECEIVED $798,000. YOU CANNOT ADEQUATELY RUN A DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WITH THOSE AMOUNT OF FUNDS.
THE OTHER ISSUE I HAVE IS THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE GOING TO DO TO HELP WITH THE COURT BACKLOG, BUT WE WANT TO FIGHT CRIME THROUGH OTHER METHODS THAT ARE NOT NORMAL. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH THIS. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION -RPBGS AND -- AND WE STILL HAVE $565 MILLION FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE RECOVERY FUNDS THAT WE HAVEN'T USED.
SO WHY NOT -- NOBODY CAN SIT HERE AND ARGUE WITH ME THAT COVID WASN'T THE FACTOR FOR WHY COURTS ARE BACKLOGGED.
WHY NOT THROW EVERYTHING AT IT. IF WE CAN THROW $50 MILLION TOWARD INTERNET, IF WE CAN THROW $50 MILLION TOWARD LEAD TESTING, IF WE CAN THROW $50 MILLION TOWARD HOMELESSNESS, WHY CAN'T WE GET $50 MILLION TO KIM OG. YOU WOULDN'T HAVE ME UP HERE FIGHTING WITH YOU OR UPSET IF I SAW YOU ADEQUATELY FUNDING THESE PEOPLE TO RECOVER FROM COVID DID TO THE COURTS.
NOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A TEMPORARY PROBLEM AND WE CAN'T GET PROSECUTORS FROM NOW TO THE FUTURE, BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS TRY TO FIX THIS PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE.
I JUST DON'T SEE IT. YOU HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE.
AND I'M LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS. AGAIN, I DON'T SEE WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. YOU WENT ON TWITTER AND YOU SAID , WELL, IF SOMEBODY IS LYING, POINT THEM OUT.
I'M SORRY. I AM LOOKING AT THESE NUMBERS AND DON'T SEE THEM. YOU PAID HALF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR A STUDY FOR THEM TO FIGURE OUT HOW MANY PROSECUTORS YOU NEEDED. ONE STUDY SAID 57.
THE OTHER SAID OVER 30. THERE THERE WAS 18 GIVEN.
THEY ARE NOT THERE. THEY ARE NOT THERE.
THE ONE THAT IS LYING TO THE COMMUNITY IS YOU BECAUSE I'M LOOKING AT WHAT YOU ARE PUBLICIZING AND IT IS NOT THERE.
HELP ME UNDERSTAND. MAYBE I'M THE DUMB ONE.
MAYBE EVERYBODY ELSE IS WRONG. HAVE I SEEN CONSTABLES, THE SHERIFF, THE D.A. AND I AM JUST A REGULAR PERSON PLEASE, IS EVERYBODY ELSE WRONG OR YOU WRONG? WHO IS IT? CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME HOW MUCH MONEY WE ARE GOING TO PUT TOWARD THE D.A. TO TRY TO FIX THIS BACKLOG PROBLEM FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE FUNDS?
>> LINA HIDALGO: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> I HAVE A QUESTION. CAN YOU ANSWER MY QUESTION? HOW MUCH ARE WE PUTTING TOWARD THE D.A. FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN. IT IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO TELL THE PUBLIC. IT SAYS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE COUNTY OPERATION JUSTICE AND SAFETY COURT BACKLOG.
BESIDES THAT $7 MILLION WHICH I BELIEVE ONLY RECEIVED $798,000, HOW MUCH MORE ARE WE GOING TO GIVE OUR COURT BACKLOGS.
[01:30:02]
THERE IS A REASON FEDERAL FUNDS WERE IMPLEMENTED TOWARD THE CITIES TO HELP RECOVER FROM COVID.
DEFENDANTS WILL WAIT FIVE YEARS BEFORE THEY GO TO JAIL.
THAT MEANS THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF REOFFENDING IS VERY HIGH. NOW I'M GONNA TELL YOU ONE OTHER THING. YOU HAVE PRIVATE SECURITY, SWEETIE, WE DON'T. NOT EVEN THE CONSTABLES ARE GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU. WE VOTED FOR YOU, LINA.
WE'RE DISAPPOINTED. WE ARE A DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE SHIFTING TO THE REPUBLICAN WORLD.
THE PEOPLE WE VOTED FOR ARE TPHOPT --
>> LINA HIDALGO: DO WE NEED AN INTERPRETER TO TRANSLATE WHAT
SHE SAID IN SPANISH? >> ANY TIME WE HAVE --
Defundina spent too much time in Columbia near Venezuela.
https://www.breitbart.com/border/2022/08/23/texas-governor-comptroller-condemn-states-largest-county-for-defunding-constables/
Defundina spent too much time in Columbia near Venezuela.
https://www.breitbart.com/border/2022/08/23/texas-governor-comptroller-condemn-states-largest-county-for-defunding-constables/