Since my pathetic excuse for a Representative is bleating about purported corruption today, let's do a quick dive into one of his own conflict of interest problems, involving a gas pipeline company, seized land, polluted well water, and an ill-advised stock portfolio: /1
Here's Chip's financial disclosure forms, filed last year with the House of Representatives: clerk.house.gov/public_disc/fi… You can see that Chip, a former investment banker from Maryland (what, you thought he was a BBQ-gulpin' Lone-Star-lovin' Texan by birth? /2
. . . Sorry, he only moved here to go to law school and attach himself to the intestinal tract of Ted Cruz politico.com/magazine/story…) /3
...is heavily invested in the oil and gas industry: Atlas Sand, for example, which sells fracking sand; pipeline companies like Nustar, Buckeye Partners and Energy Transfer LP; big oil stocks like Chevon and Exxon. Really smart investments! /4 
But let's zero in on one company Chip owns up to $15K in: Kinder Morgan, Inc. KM is currently building a very controversial gas pipeline across the Texas Hill Country--including Chip's district, TX-21. /5
The Permian Highway Pipeline is a threat to water quality, wildlife, and public safety. People who live in its path have been working hard to prevent irreparable harm. wimberleywatershed.org/permian-highwa… /6
Kinder Morgan is using eminent domain to seize land from residents of TX-21, often paying them less than fair market value for their property. Landowners have been forced to sue Kinder Morgan to recoup fair value for seized land. houstonchronicle.com/business/artic… /7
Last month, drilling crews working on the pipeline did an "oopsie" and accidentally flushed all their drilling fluid into the local aquifer, causing foamy mud to emerge from water taps at nearby houses. haysfreepress.com/2020/04/03/wel… haysfreepress.com/2020/04/03/wel… /8
Kinder Morgan belatedly took responsibility, but insisted no harm was done. Chip responded to the poisoning of his constituents by penning a remarkably toothless letter to KM, inviting them to respond to his polite inquiries "at their convenience." /9
It's been seven weeks since that letter was posted, and Chip hasn't said a peep about any reply from Kinder Morgan. Presumably it hasn't yet been "convenient" for them to get back to him. /10
Constituents have pressed Roy repeatedly to address the conflict of interest his ownership of KM stock presents. He has to date declined to do so. tx21indivisible.us/2020/05/06/may… /11
To sum up: Chip owns stock in a company that is seizing his constituents' land. Constituents are having to sue to receive fair compensation. The company is polluting residents' drinking water. All of this to build a pipeline to increase the value of the stock Chip owns. /12
Chip has done diddly-squat to protect his constituents's property, health, or water quality. He's allowed a company he's invested in to run roughshod over the rights of TX-21 residents. And he's refusing to even admit he has a conflict of interest here. /13
This is par for the course. Back in 2016, Chip went to work for Ted Cruz's PAC but managed to stay on the payroll at the Texas Attorney General's office, so he could keep his salary and health benefits--thus earning the moniker "Double-Dip Chip." lonestarproject.net/2019/01/15/fre… /14
About what you'd expect from someone who pals around with Cruz, Cornyn, and congenital fraudster Ken Paxton. So unless/until ol' @chiproytx decides to come clean on his investments in Kinder Morgan, he can shut his big windy yap about "the swamp" in DC. /15
Voters in TX-21 have excellent odds of sending Chip back home to Bethesda in November: @wendydavis is running a hell of a campaign, listening to voters, crushing Chip's fundraising efforts with small-dollar donations. Show her some love: wendydavisforcongress.com /fin
