They're accused of steering an $11 million contract for COVID outreach to Elevate Strategies, a one-person company with zero healthcare experience, DA Kim Ogg said.Attorneys from the AG Ken Paxton's office told Jones they need time to review the material in the case.Former chief of staff Alex Triantaphyllis, former policy director Wallis Nader and former policy aide Aaron Dunn are charged with misuse of official information and tampering with records.
They're accused of steering an $11 million contract for COVID outreach to Elevate Strategies, a one-person company with zero healthcare experience,Last month, Ogg transferred the case over to Paxton's office, saying she didn't want it to fall through the cracks when she leaves office next year. Hidalgo called the move politically motivated because she endorsed Ogg's opponent, Sean Teare, in the March Primary. He ultimately won by a large margin.
Attorneys from the AG’s office did not make themselves available to speak to KHOU after the hearing Monday. An attorney representing Aaron Dunn told reporters it was no surprise the other side needed months to get familiar with the materials in the case. “ are realizing what we realized, which is there's a data dump from the DA's office,” Derek Hollingsworth, the attorney representing Dunn said. “They asked for time to go over it, and now I think we're looking at the soonest of a trial next year.”“We're just ready at some point to have our day in court or to have somebody finally realize that the evidence and the charges against Dr. Dunn are ridiculous and to let them go.