John Colyandro
John Dominick Colyandro is a former Senior Advisor and Policy Director for Texas Governor Greg Abbott.{{Cite web|url=https://www.txdirectory.com/online/office/?id=5|title=Governor's Office - Texas State Directory Online|website=www.txdirectory.com|language=en|access-date=2017-10-18}} He is a former executive director of the Texas Conservative Coalition and the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute.{{Cite web|url=http://txccri.org/about-tccri/staff/|title=Staff – TXCCRI|website=txccri.org|language=en-US|access-date=2017-10-18|archive-date=2017-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018071915/http://txccri.org/about-tccri/staff/|url-status=dead}} He is also the former executive director of the political action committee Texans for a Republican Majority.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/Rick-Casey-Who-s-really-behind-DeLay-s-fall-1595318.php|title=Rick Casey: Who's really behind DeLay's fall?|last=Casey|first=Rick|date=2010-11-30|website=Houston Chronicle|access-date=2019-12-30}}
He was indicted for money laundering and unlawful acceptance of corporate contributions in 2004.{{Cite news|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2016/11/03/former-abbott-adviser-named-prez-pro-esa-advocacy-/|title=GOP operative John Colyandro to lead "school choice" lobbying group|last=Swaby|first=Aliyya|date=2016-11-03|work=The Texas Tribune|access-date=2017-10-18|language=en}} He pleaded guilty to illegal acceptance of political contributions in 2012.{{Cite news|url=http://www.statesman.com/news/delay-defendant-colyandro-pleads-guilty/2ucx8B0q7ObURHFgA7K2YK/|title=DeLay co-defendant Colyandro pleads guilty|work=statesman|access-date=2017-10-18|archive-date=2017-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018071831/http://www.statesman.com/news/delay-defendant-colyandro-pleads-guilty/2ucx8B0q7ObURHFgA7K2YK/|url-status=dead}}
Early years
Colyandro graduated from Westfield High School in Houston in 1982. In 1983, while attending the University of Texas at Austin, he founded the Texas Review Society and the Texas Review, a conservative political newspaper, which was the antecedent to the Austin Review, Texas Education Review, and Houston Review.{{cite web|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_v38/ai_4373939 |title=National Review: Notes from the underground - college campus journalist, includes a related article on the publishing of Yale Free Press |accessdate=2005-12-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210103441/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_v38/ai_4373939 |archivedate=2006-02-10 }}
Later in the 1980s, he wrote direct mail pieces for Karl Rove. When Colyandro was hired as executive director of TRMPAC, he was described as a "longtime pal of Rove['s]."{{cite web | url=http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=50318 | title=Arquivo.pt | access-date=2017-04-05 | archive-date=2009-10-14 | archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091014061639/http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=50318 | url-status=bot: unknown }}
In 1985, Colyandro founded the Texas Conservative Coalition to shape public policy through the promotion of limited government, free enterprise, individual liberties, and traditional values. Today, the TCC is widely recognized as one of the largest and most influential caucuses in the Texas Legislature.{{cite web |url=http://www.txcc.org/tcc_home.html |title=Texas Conservative Coalition |website=www.txcc.org |access-date=2 February 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20021205113303/http://www.txcc.org/tcc_home.html |archive-date=5 December 2002 |url-status=dead}}
Tom DeLay scandal
In 2001, Colyandro was selected by Jim Ellis and Tom DeLay (R-Texas) to be executive director of TRMPAC.{{cite book|last=Bickerstaff|first=Steve|title=Lines in the Sand: congressional redistricting in Texas and the downfall of Tom DeLay|url=https://archive.org/details/linessandcongres00bick|url-access=registration|publisher=University of Texas Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-292-71474-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/linessandcongres00bick/page/n61 49]}} Three years later, in 2004, Colyandro was indicted for accepting illegal corporate donations and for illegally laundering $190,000 in corporate funds through the Republican National State Elections Committee; money that later wound up in the hands of Texas Republican candidates.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/08/AR2005090800973.html|title=DeLay PAC Is Indicted For Illegal Donations|first=R. Jeffrey|last=Smith|date=9 September 2005|website=Washingtonpost.com}} He was indicted{{cite web|url=http://news.findlaw.com/nytimes/docs/delay/delay92805ind.html|title=Indictment of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom Delay by a Texas Grand Jury|website=News.findlaw.com|accessdate=2016-12-15}} on September 28, 2005, along with then-House Majority Leader DeLay and Jim Ellis, who ran DeLay's political action committee Americans for a Republican Majority (ARMPAC).
Colyandro, who "already faced charges of money laundering in the case, also faces 13 counts of unlawful acceptance of a corporate political contribution," and Ellis were indicted September 13, 2005, "on additional felony charges of violating Texas election law and criminal conspiracy to violate election law for their role in the 2002 legislative races."http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/09/13/election.probe.ap {{dead link|date=December 2016}} "The money laundering charges stem from $190,000 in corporate funds that were sent to the Republican National Committee, "which then spent the same amount on seven candidates for the Texas Legislature."
In November 2012, Colyandro pleaded guilty to lesser charges of accepting illegal political contributions during the 2002 state legislative elections. He received a one-year deferred adjudication on two Class A misdemeanor charges. There will be no final conviction on his record if he successfully completes unsupervised probation. He also was fined $8,000.{{cite web |url=http://www.statesman.com/news/news/delay-co-defendant-pleads-guilty/nS268/ |title=DeLay co-defendant Colyandro pleads guilty | www.statesman.com |website=www.statesman.com |access-date=2 February 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630091339/http://www.statesman.com/news/news/delay-co-defendant-pleads-guilty/nS268/ |archive-date=30 June 2013 |url-status=dead}}
Recent activities
In 2014, Colyandro advised then Texas Attorney General, now Governor, Greg Abbott on his policy positions and agenda.{{cite web|title=Who's Advising Abbott|url=http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/11/whos-advising-abbott-on-budget-policy-stuff-john-colyandro-for-one.html/|website=Dallas News Trailblazer's Blog|publisher=Dallas News|accessdate=April 3, 2015|archive-date=April 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408064813/http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/11/whos-advising-abbott-on-budget-policy-stuff-john-colyandro-for-one.html/|url-status=dead}} In September 2017 Abbott appointed him as a Senior Advisor and Policy Director within the Office of the Governor.{{Cite news|url=http://www.statesman.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/luis-saenz-replacing-daniel-hodge-gov-abbott-chief-staff/18fjIel6co5t3tPcDG2ORI/|title=Luis Saenz replacing Daniel Hodge as Gov. Abbott's chief of staff|work=statesman|access-date=2017-10-18|archive-date=2017-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018072041/http://www.statesman.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/luis-saenz-replacing-daniel-hodge-gov-abbott-chief-staff/18fjIel6co5t3tPcDG2ORI/|url-status=dead}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
=Texans for Public Justice=
- {{cite web|url=http://www.tpj.org/2009/01/austin-american-statesman-delay-related.html |title=Texans For Public Justice: Austin American-Statesman: DeLay-related ruling shows polarization of 3rd Court |website=Tpj.org |date=2009-01-02 |accessdate=2016-12-15}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.tpj.org/2008/12/tpj-files-complaint-against-justice_19.html |title=Texans For Public Justice: TPJ Files Complaint Against Justice Waldrop in TRMPAC Case |website=Tpj.org |date=2008-10-14 |accessdate=2016-12-15}}
=Other=
- [http://www.citizen.org/documents/Texas%20grand%20jury%20indictments.pdf Texas Grand Jury Indictment] Against Westar Energy, September 2004.
- Syvia Moreno, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39563-2004Sep21.html "3 DeLay Workers Indicted in Texas. Aides Charged in Fundraising Probe"], Washington Post, September 22, 2005.
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