(Joshua Paladino, Headline USA) Without seeking other bids, the Harris County Commissioners Court approved a three-month, $121,000 contract with a security firm to protect Houston-area judge Lina Hidalgo, the Gateway Pundit reported.
The security company, XMI Protection, listed its address as a suite in a shopping center in Spring, Texas—a suburb of Houston—but the actual address appears to be a mailbox inside a packing and shipping store, according to an investigation by KHOU.
The commissioners approved the bid on a 3-2 vote at Hidalgo’s urging.
“Motion carries 3-2. Thank you guys so much,” Hidalgo said on April 26 at a meeting.
“I want to make sure that it’s clear that the firm has the experience required. That, ethically, there are no issues here…That it’s cost-effective.”
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office already has an open investigation into the Leftist and partisan Democrat judge because she awarded an $11 million “vaccine outreach” contract to her friend, according to the Gateway Pundit.
Hidalgo’s office cancelled its security contract with the Precinct 1 Constable’s Office—a public entity—to instead grant the money to the unknown security firm.
The decision to cancel that contract came after the chief of saff in the Precinct 1 Constable’s Office challenged Hidalgo in the Democrat primary for the Harris County judge seat.
The new security deal raised more concerns for the two Republican commissioners who voted against it.
“Why [not] a public company?” Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said about the new security deal. “Why a no-bid contract? Why the urgency?”
Ramsey said the public judge should used public entities for her protection.
“This isn’t about the judge. This isn’t about her security,” Ramsey said on Wednesday afternoon.
“This is about … why couldn’t we use constables? Why couldn’t we use Harris County Sheriff’s deputies? We have a lot of options other than a private company with a P.O. Box.”
