July 28, 2014 4:40 PM

SB: A terrible, no good week for MQ Sullivan

Recent developments suggest a pattern of deception

It would be difficult enough to cover something as complex as a matter before the Texas Ethics Commission if all sides were honest brokers about the proceedings. The fact that they are not makes cutting through the noise that much more of a challenge. Thankfully for those who tell the truth for a living, sorting out fact from fiction becomes easier as more evidence becomes part of the public record.

Steve Bresnen, a longtime lobbyist and former aide to Lt Gov. Bob Bullock, on Monday sent to lawmakers a detailed update on the case of Midland oilman Tim Dunn’s spokesman Michael Quinn Sullivan and his organization Empower Texans.

“My greatest fear—as a citizen and professional advocate—is that lying threatens to replace honesty as the currency of public discourse,” Bresnen said of the way Sullivan has conducted himself throughout the proceedings before the TEC. “That’s why it’s been a good week for Texas,” Bresnen said, pointing to the commission’s ruling last week that Sullivan is indeed a professional lobbyist who has failed to register. The commission fined Sullivan the maximum amount they were able to in the case: $10,000.

Sullivan denies the charge and an appeal in court has been promised by his legal team, which includes an impressive number of attorneys for a citizen activist.

Among other things in his update to lawmakers, Bresnen notes that when Sullivan appeared on NBC 5’s Lone Star Politics in Dallas/Fort Worth on July 20, he said he was not asked by the TEC about whether he had destroyed email evidence. When asked specifically if he had trashed emails that showed his alleged lobbying, he told Dallas Morning News reporter Gromer Jeffers "No."

One might safely assume that if Jeffers had lawful subpoena power – the way the Texas Ethics Commission does – Sullivan’s response would have been "On the advice of counsel, I'm not going to be testifying today.” You can see his appearance on TV here. The questions about the case start at about 8:50 in the video.

Sullivan said the commission “never actually asked us about the emails. They never asked us about policies. If they had, they would have found that we, like most businesses, have an email retention program." Sullivan added that in a “real court,” the emails would have been the subject of a line of questioning. Turns out, however, that attorneys for the TEC did directly ask Sullivan about emails to lawmakers during the formal hearing weeks before his television appearance.

Simply put: What Sullivan said on TV does not comport with reality.

By Scott Braddock