The chief investigator of Tarrant County has announced that he will not look into stunning allegations of voter fraud by Deborah Peoples, the Democratic nominee for the county’s highest office.
As reported by The Dallas Express, footage obtained through open records request of a January 2020 interaction between Dallas police and a homeless man named Charles Jackson contained numerous, specific allegations of how Deborah Peoples, and her campaign manager Stuart Clegg, orchestrated a sophisticated voter fraud ring that stole the votes of elderly Texans.
After the video was released, Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that his office would not open an investigation into the allegations that were made, citing politics.
Calling an investigation at this time into Peoples’ alleged voter fraud ring “inappropriate,” Waybourn pointed to his prior endorsement of her opponent, Republican Tim O’Hare, as well as other candidates on the upcoming November ballot.
Waybourn’s office assured the Star-Telegram that they had “made the attorney general’s office aware of the video,” even though the Attorney General has no unilateral investigative and prosecutorial authority to go after allegations of voter fraud due to a recent ruling by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA).
Last December, the all-Republican court ruled 8-1 to strike down an existing state law that allowed the Texas Attorney General to take on cases regarding election law without the consent and cooperation of the local district attorney.
As recently as September 28 of this year, the Texas CCA affirmed this decision, forcing the Texas Attorney General to gain permission from local prosecutors to investigate and prosecute voter fraud.
After the latest ruling, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton lambasted the court, “The CCA’s shameful decision means local DAs with radical liberal views have the sole power to prosecute election fraud in TX — which they will never do. The timing is no accident — this is devastating for the integrity of our upcoming elections.”
The current Tarrant County District Attorney, Republican Sharen Wilson, must authorize the Texas Attorney General’s office to look into these allegations; however, as of the writing of this article, she has not weighed in publicly.
The Dallas Express has reached out to Wilson for comment but has not heard back.
Deborah Peoples commented on the allegations claiming that people were “disrespecting voters by leaning on false information from an outlet famous for spreading lies to serve an extreme agenda.”
Waybourn’s inaction has given local Democrats a talking point to rally behind, as evidenced by Tarrant County Democratic Party Chairman Allison Campolo’s statement to reporters on his decision.
“Voters are ready for candidates who run professional campaigns and don’t resort to these gossip tactics while spreading wild, unsupported claims. We are glad to see the Sheriff’s office agrees,” Campolo commented.
“Our Democratic candidates will continue putting in the hard work to reach every voter in Tarrant to let them know their future representatives support public education, health care, access to basic resources, and safe, accessible voting here in Tarrant County,” she continued.
With voting now set to begin in a matter of weeks, the issue regarding Deborah Peoples’ alleged involvement in a 2020 voter fraud ring will likely have to wait until after the conclusion of the November election.
