Abbott Launches "Defeat Davis" Website

Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott's campaign has launched a new website, DefeatDavis.com, to chronicle what the campaign calls the "questionable ethics practices" employed by his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Wendy Davis

"Sen. Davis has methodically, deliberately and repeatedly deceived Texans about her record and conflicts of interest as a Texas state senator," Abbott spokesman Matt Hirsch said in a statement. "Despite promises to stop profiting off public sector clients, Sen. Davis continues to line her pockets at the taxpayers' expense."

The Abbott campaign has continuously criticized Davis for perceived conflicts between her legal clients and her work as a senator. In March, Abbott announced an addition to his far-reaching ethics policy proposal that would prohibit legislators and statewide leaders from serving as the bond counsel for any public entity, seemingly targeting Davis, who while running for governor has continued her legal work for several governmental or quasi-public entities that she has represented since 2010.

The Davis campaign has repeatedly said her legal work does not present any conflicts of interests and that she has not permitted it to interfere with her representation and the "best interest" of her constituents as senator.

More recently, the Abbott campaign also went after Davis' ethical practices after The Dallas Morning News reported on Friday that documents related to Davis' legal work as a lawyer for the North Texas Tollway Authority are part of an FBI inquiry into the agency's board members, citing a letter from the Public Integrity Unit about its own closed investigation into Davis. A director of the Public Integrity Unit, which prosecutes state public corruption cases, told The Texas Tribune it did not refer any information to the FBI as part of its investigation of Davis last year after it did not find any issues worth pursuing.

On the website, the Abbott campaign describes Davis as an "extreme liberal" out of touch with Texas voters because of her positions on federal health reform and abortion.

The Davis campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Abbott campaign's website.