Sheila Jackson Lee announces endorsement from former Houston Mayor Lee Brown, he denies it
Houston mayor denies endorsing Jackson Lee
After she felt compelled to apologize for abusive treatment of her staffers Congresswoman and mayoral candidate Sheila Jackson Lee has been "called" out for falsely claiming a high-profile endorsement. FOX 26 Political Reporter Greg Groogan has the details.
HOUSTON - A second major controversy has emerged for the embattled mayoral campaign of Sheila Jackson Lee.
It was triggered by a social media post from the Congresswoman announcing a public endorsement of her candidacy from former Houston Mayor Lee Brown.
Trouble is, Brown fully endorsed Jackson Lee's principal opponent State Senator John Whitmire earlier this year with sources telling FOX 26 that support was never rescinded, transferred, or split.
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In a statement from Brown via the Whitmire campaign, the former Mayor says, "I never gave Sheila Jackson Lee’s campaign permission to use my name as an endorser. My endorsement remains with Senator Whitmire."
A spokesperson for Jackson Lee told FOX 26 that the "dual endorsement" was obtained during an unrecorded phone conversation between the Congresswoman and Brown on Oct. 19.
The controversy is the second bombshell to hit the Jackson Lee campaign in the past 72 hours after a recording of a deeply profane and abusive tongue-lashing of her congressional staffers went viral.
LISTEN HERE: Sheila Jackson Lee cusses out staffer in leaked audio recording
John Whitmire released this statement in response to Brown's endorsement:
With exactly 14 days left until the election, Jackson Lee's opponents are now questioning the Congresswoman's fitness to lead the City.
"You just can't say those things. It's not just bad management, it's treating people wrong and we can't do that," said candidate Lee Kaplan.
"Hold them accountable in a respectable manner, not the way she berated employees. This issue is not just personal, it's how you treat people. If you cannot manage 12 people in your Congressional office or in your Senate office, how do you manage 21,000 City employees? That's the question people need to ask," said candidate M.J. Khan.
Jackson Lee has recently received backlash following a leaked recording of her cussing out a member of her staff.