A close friend and political consultant’s felony indictment is among the controversies plaguing the incumbent Republican.
The Agriculture Commissioner has a broad range of responsibilities, including issues related to farming and ranching, rural health care and even public school cafeterias.
But in 2019, the commissioner took on an additional job: overseeing the licensing for the new industry of hemp.
Two-term Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller starred in a video his department made explaining the good, the bad and the ugly about growing hemp. He also issued a warning.
“Be on the lookout for fraud. As usual with any new emerging industries, there’s a risk of fraud. And unfortunately there’s always someone out there looking to take advantage of you,” he said.
But what Miller didn’t say was that “someone” might be Miller’s own close friend and political consultant Todd Smith.
In January 2022, Smith was indicted on felony charges of theft and commercial bribery related to taking money in exchange for state hemp licenses that are issued by Miller’s Department of Agriculture.
According to the Travis County district attorney, Smith and others were accused of soliciting up to $150,000 for an “exclusive” state hemp license. Under the law, the license is supposed to cost just $100.
Smith is now awaiting trial. And Miller is seeking re-election. When he’s asked about his long time ally’s indictment, Miller dismissed it as politics.
“Well, that’s a total political hit job. They do it all the time. They’ve done it to me twice,” Miller said in an interview with TPR.
Miller is referring to least two Texas Ranger investigations of him, as well as complaints to the Texas Ethics Commission, including improperly using political funds for personal travel when Miller attended a Mississippi rodeo in 2015 and another when he traveled to Oklahoma for a controversial medical procedure called a “Jesus Shot.”
Also in 2015, Miller hired Smith’s wife at the Agriculture Department for reportedly $150,000 a year.
“Nothing’s going to happen to Todd. He didn’t try to sell any hemp licenses. It’s a total set up, total hit job. The Democrats, they use whatever means they can,” Miller said.
But it was Republicans who brought up Miller’s ethical and legal troubles during the party’s primary. Here’s what primary challenger state Rep. James White said speaking to WFAA-TV about Miller.
“We need a current commissioner that’s going to protect and promote this industry and we definitely don’t need one that has a culture of incompetence — and corruption — and ethical compromises as well,” White said.
Boosted by an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, Miller won the GOP nomination with 59% of the vote. But those same questions are following Miller into the general election, where he’s facing rancher and civil rights attorney Susan Hays, who worked to pass the industrial hemp law.
“That issue with the hemp licenses was the initial reason I wanted to run because I was working on that rollout. I watched it in real time and had people approach me saying, ‘You know, there’s this guy out there telling me I need to pay him to get one of these licenses. Is that true?’ And I’m like, ‘No.’ ” Hays explained.
“We purposely wrote the bill to make it simple and easy for…
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