The Latest: Lawmaker denies sending texts to grad student
Source: Associated Press
Updated 6:20 pm CST, Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Photo: Ralph Barrera, AP
FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2017 file photo, Texas Senator Charles Schwertner, R-Wiliamson, chairman of the Senate of Texas Committee on Health and Human Services, holds a hearing in Austin, Texas. A former U.S. prosecutor hired by the University of Texas says Schwertner, accused of sending sexually explicit text messages to a graduate student, blamed them on someone else and didn't fully cooperate with investigators. (Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The Latest on allegations that a Texas state senator sent inappropriate text messages to a university graduate student: (all times local):
6:15 p.m.
A Texas state senator accused of sending sexually explicit text messages to a graduate student says he doesn't "condone sexual misconduct of any kind" following an investigation launched by the University of Texas.
A report released Tuesday by the university said Republican state Sen. Charles Schwertner didn't fully cooperate with investigators and blamed the messages on someone the lawmaker has refused to identify. The investigation concluded that Schwertner didn't violate university policies based on "available evidence."
Schwertner said the university closed the investigation because he didn't "send the offensive text messages in question." But the report says Schwertner prevented investigators from reaching a definitive conclusion and raised the possibility that an unknown person who claimed responsibility for the messages is "being untruthful or does not exist."
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/The-Latest-Lawmaker-denies-sending-texts-to-grad-13476185.php
Born May 29, 1970 (age 45) (1970-05-29)
Residence Georgetown Williamson County Texas, USA
Alma mater University of Texas at Austin, B.S., University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston, MD
Education University of Texas Medical Branch, University of Texas at Austin
https://alchetron.com/Charles-Schwertner
UT-Austin says evidence "does not support a finding" that Charles Schwertner violated Title IX by sending lewd texts
Lawyers for Schwertner say the messages were sent by a third party.
BY SHANNON NAJMABADI DEC. 18, 2018 UPDATED: 6 HOURS AGO
The University of Texas has ended its investigation of state Sen. Charles Schwertner, concluding that the "available evidence does not support a finding" that the Georgetown Republican, accused of sending sexually-explicit text messages to a graduate student, had violated university policy and the federal gender equity law Title IX.
An executive summary of the report, released Tuesday, said Schwertner had not fully cooperated with investigators, but that it was "plausible" a third party had sent the lewd messages from an application that both that party and the senator had access to.
Schwertner said in a statement that this "unfortunate matter is now closed."
. . .
The two-page executive summary says that Schwertner "refused to meet with" Johnny Sutton, an outside lawyer retained to help with the inquiry, or to "answer five written questions that were designed to bring clarity to the investigation." The summary says the senator did convey information through his attorneys, who told investigators that a third person sent the messages through an application called Hushed that "allows a user to purchase one or more private phone numbers to communicate via cell phone without revealing the user's actual cell phone number or revealing that a text or call was sent through the Hushed app."
More:
https://www.texastribune.org/2018/12/18/ut-released-records-related-investigation-charles-schwertner/
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