HOUSTON — Governor Greg Abbott made a stop in Houston Thursday to hold a business roundtable discussion at Pieper-Houston Electric.
Flanked by business leaders the governor touted the strength of the state's economy and business climate. The Lone Star State continues to set new records for employment. Texas has added nearly 700,000 jobs since January 2021 and job activity and hiring efforts by Texas employers continue to grow.
Meanwhile back in Austin, the state Senate focused instead on getting answers about what happened at the Refuge, a shelter for child victims of sex trafficking. Allegations had surfaced that girls were trafficked and sexually abused by employees there.
Governor Abbott ordered the Texas Rangers to investigate last week. Yesterday, the Department of Public Safety sent a letter to the Governor saying they found "no evidence" any of the girls were abused or trafficked there.
There is evidence at least one employee had nude photographs of two girls and attempted to sell them for money and/or drugs.
The governor took questions after his business roundtable. KHOU 11 News asked him if he's 100% confident in the investigation's findings.
"It was wrong obviously for these employees of DFPS to fabricate information that caused a great public stir that in the end turned out to be completely false," said Abbott. "That said, obviously we want to get to the bottom of it. More importantly, we want to get to work every day to make the foster care system as great as it can be for the kids who need it."
Abbott's opponent Democrat Beto O'Rourke has attacked the governor saying none of this should have ever happened. He points the blame at Abbott for ignoring long-time problems in the foster care system.
This investigation is not going away anytime soon and is likely to remain a campaign issue. The Texas House is expected to demand an answer during a hearing next week.