A Democratic candidate for a Texas local government post who touted his connections to the Biden administration has been charged with faking racist messages that he used in his campaign.
Taral Patel, who is running for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 commissioner, faces a third-degree felony charge for online impersonation and a Class A misdemeanor charge for misrepresentation of identity, according to KTRK-TV in Houston.
Patel allegedly set up social media accounts to send him posts that called him a variety of names and then used the messages he sent himself as fodder for a news release in which he said his opponents were hitting below the belt.
“[T]hese hateful images (a small sample attached here) are from a place of deep and misguided fear – incited by people like former President Donald Trump, and today’s extremist Republican party fear that immigrants are ‘taking their jobs’ and setting out to hurt our own communities,” the candidate wrote in a news release announcing the alleged attacks.
Patel’s campaign biography said that during his time as a Biden administration appointee, he worked for the Public Integrity Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
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It said he was appointed by President Joe Biden to the Office of White House Liaison, focusing on issues such as housing, urban development, and disaster recovery and resilience.
The charges against Patel followed a lengthy investigation that began when he went public with the alleged racist attacks, according to KUHT-TV in Houston.
Republican Andy Meyers, the incumbent commissioner, researched the comments and found three comments came from an account under the name of “Antonio Scalywag.”
Does the left exaggerate the amount of racism in the U.S.?
That account had also sent attacks to Meyers, who — after hiring a private investigator — learned no one in the county had that name. He asked local prosecutors to investigate.
The district attorney’s office learned that the account was created in 2021 and used to criticize Meyers, according to court records, which say it was used in March to criticize the candidate Patel defeated in the Democratic primary for the commissioner’s spot.
In 2022, the “Antonio Scalywag” Facebook account added a profile picture. The man in the photo, who lives in Fort Bend County, said he never consented to the photo being used and did not run the Facebook account, according to court records.
The story keeps growing! –> https://t.co/IwWGxq7pAD pic.twitter.com/rHsm1ea91i
— Fort Bend County GOP (@fbcgop) June 14, 2024
Patel formerly worked for Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George, who issued an oblique statement about the issue to KTRK.
“As a public official, I address the recent events involving a former employee with a deep sense of concern. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, I emphasize the vital importance of upholding the principles of due process and impartial investigation,” George said.
“I trust that this matter will be examined without prejudice. White awaiting additional information, I reaffirm my commitment to ensuring justice and accountability. I look forward to gaining a complete understanding of the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate incident,” the judge said.
