Ah, who is Red kidding? The Texas Tribune reports that Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid “Cupcake” Miller has come up with yet a third explanation for why his trip to participate in the Dixie National Rodeo in Mississippi was billed to the taxpayers. First, we were told that Miller decided to set up a work meeting with Mississippi agriculture officials when he wasn’t roping calves, but those meetings fell through. Then, we were told the trip was intended to be personal in nature and was it was but a mere mistake to book it as a business trip. Red knows you can hardly wait for the next iteration of the explanation for the perambulations of the good commissioner.
Miller has told the Tribune there was “absolutely no validity” to the complaints from liberal advocacy group Progress Texas that led to the Rangers investigation, calling them “harassment.”
“There’s nothing absolutely illegal or wrong with either of those trips,” he said.
But on Thursday, Miller’s political consultant told the Tribune a new version of the Mississippi trip. He said it was always supposed to be a business trip to meet with Agriculture Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith and that those meetings did occur, contrary to what his boss has previously said.
“I think there was some discrepancy about whether or not he had a meeting with her on that trip,” Smith said. “He met with her multiple times. He went to the rodeo with her.”
Tribune attempts to confirm whether Mississippi officials met with Miller have been unsuccessful.
As for Miller’s rodeo-ing while on a state-paid trip, Smith said there was nothing wrong with it and compared it to buying souvenirs while on a business trip.
“He can’t flip a switch and say, ‘I’m no longer the agriculture commissioner here, and I’m the agricultural commissioner now,’” Smith said.
Miller, who had hip surgery this week in Fort Worth, was not available for an interview. Last week, his staff said he was on medical leave. And the week before that, the Tribune was told the commissioner’s schedule was too full to allow one.
Red guesses that “Jesus Shot” thing didn’t work out exactly as planned if Miller needs hip surgery. And if Red ever finds that switch, he damn sure is going to flip it.
Paradise in Hell 