Not Ready For Prime-Time

New w/ @brianlopeztx — @RepMattKrause is declining to offer a number of specifics re: his inquiry into what books students can access as TX school districts grapple with how to respond https://t.co/2JMGclFfCL #txlege

— Cassi Pollock (@cassi_pollock) October 29, 2021

So it was a scam after all:

State Rep. Matt Krause said he will not be offering specifics related to his inquiry over which books about racism and sexuality are available at certain Texas public schools, such as how the roughly 850-book list included in his request originated, which districts received his letter or how those districts were chosen.

The Fort Worth Republican, who chairs the House General Investigating Committee, said he was limited in what he could say because it could compromise a potential or pending investigation. But House Democrats, many of whom have accused Krause of trying to censor progressive literature, are stressing that school districts are not compelled to respond.

I've seen that list; the only reason he's hiding it is because he's hiding something.  Basically, he got national attention, and now he's worried about what that means.  Paxton revels in national attention, he rejoices in being nationally vilified.  This guy is never going to challenge Paxton if he can't stand behind his sources.

“It’s the practice of the General Investigating Committee to not comment on pending or potential investigations,” Krause, a candidate for state attorney general, told the Tribune on Friday. “You don’t want to compromise anything with a potential investigation by divulging any of the information that’s supposed to be confidential and privileged.”

That is some prime bullshit.  Who gave him that list is neither "confidential" nor "privileged," but goes to the validity of the concerns he's trying to raise, and why he's trying to raise them.

The inquiry comes after the Texas Legislature passed two laws this year aimed at restricting how teachers can talk about race-related subjects in school, pushed by GOP lawmakers who have taken aim at so-called “critical race theory” in schools.

Krause referenced the laws in an interview with Dallas radio host Mark Davis on Friday morning and said his inquiry “could be a big benefit for those school districts who are going through the inventory to say, ‘Hey, do we have something that could be in violation [of state law] or do we not?’”

Yeah, that's what he's doing; he's providing a public service!

In a memo to its members and staffers earlier this week, the House Democratic Caucus wrote that while Krause “may act on behalf of the whole committee to ‘inspect the records, documents, and files’ of school districts” thanks to a motion adopted by committee members earlier this year, the lawmaker’s authority does not extend to requiring school districts to create new documents related to his inquiry.

Democrats have also questioned why the lawmaker has declined to specify where that book list originated or how certain school districts were chosen.

“In my view, this isn’t an investigation — this is a fishing expedition,” state Rep. Chris Turner, a Grand Prairie Democrat who chairs his party’s caucus in the lower chamber, told the Tribune. “It’s completely legitimate to ask where the list of books came from and how that was formulated, as well as how the list of school districts [Krause] sent this to was formulated. There’s no reason that those questions cannot be answered.”

Really, really, REALLY not ready for prime-time:

Other Democrats like Turner have suggested that Krause’s move is a “clearly a campaign stunt” as part of his bid challenging Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. At least three Republicans are vying to unseat Paxton. Krause, for his part, said he would not have used an issue “that I thought was going to be completely private and that I can’t comment on.”

And there's more shit coming:

Meanwhile, state Rep. Jeff Cason, R-Bedford, called on Paxton on Friday to initiate a statewide investigation into a novel that the lawmaker said “touches on subjects that are not appropriate for school libraries and may even be criminal for its representation of minors participating in sexual activities.” Cason also asked Paxton to investigate other books of similar matter “as well as the legal ramifications to school districts that approved of these types of books.”

Honest to God, if I was a school administrator in this state, I'd just resign now.