Former Texas Republican Party Chairmaniac and Current GOP Governor primary challenger Allen West and Texas Dems are both ripping Governor Greg Abbott for the shit conditions the state’s national guard troops have been putting up with – suicides, late paychecks, COVID-19 exposure, no ammo for their guns – while deployed to the border to secure Abbott’s reelection, the Texas Tribune reports. “This falls squarely on the shoulders of the person that ordered the commencement of Operation Lone Star and that’s you, Gov. Abbott,” West said, referencing an Army Times report of four suicides in November and December among Texas National Guard soldiers tied to the mission.
The Abbott administration of course said everything’s fine. “We continue working with service leaders to ensure all who are deployed in Texas and overseas have the support they need to keep forging ahead and serve our great state and our nation” said an Abbott Reichsminister on Tuesday. This was on the same day Abbott announced Texas would be suing the Biden Administration again over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all US military troops.
Dem Gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke jumped in. “Gov. Abbott is the commander-in-chief of the Texas National Guard. If he chooses to deploy those under his command, it is his duty to pay them, deliver the benefits he promised them, and ensure they receive proper mental health support in order to prevent the kind of tragedy we’ve seen in recent months,” said O’Rourke.