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White Accuses Perry of Funneling Teacher Retirement Funds to Political Donors

TRS Building
Photo by Ian Dille for KUT News.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White delivered his campaign's "October surprise" from the front steps of the Teacher Retirment Systems building in downtown Austin.

Today, in an event trumpeted by his campaign as its "October surprise," Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White held a press conferance on the front steps of the Teacher Retirement Systems (TRS) building in downtown Austin. The TRS manages a trust fund valued at over $100 billion on behalf of 1.3 million current and former Texas teachers.

Citing a recently obtained memo written by a whistleblower at TRS, White accused current Texas Governer Rick Perry of abusing his political power. White claimed TRS board members appointed by Perry influenced TRS employees to invest in businesses associated with Perry's top campaign donors. The full text of the memo can be found below.

Following White's press conferance, Howard Goldman, Director of Communications for TRS, briefly read from a statement. Goldman said the whistleblower's accusations were fully investigated in 2009, and found no improprieties in how the investment decisions in question were made.

Expect a more in depth audio report on White's allegations against Perry shortly.

By Ian Dille

TRS Whistleblower Memo From Green to Wright

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