HOUSTON -- Once again a phone call from 11 News has prompted sudden action from an under-fire Houston Metro Transit Authority.
Early Thursday, Investigative Reporter Mark Greenblatt called Metro officials.
The reason?
He formally asked for the same documents that are now part of a controversial open records request filed by local attorney Lloyd Kelly.
And like on Wednesday, Metro’s response was the same: They held a sudden press conference.
There, officials passed out all of the press documents that they called responsive to Kelly’s request.
And they made a surprising announcement: “I have sent a letter to Mayor Annise Parker, enthusiastically endorsing her call for the District Attorney’s office to investigate allegations of document shredding,” said official David Wolff.
That statement was a response to an exclusive 11 News interview Wednesday evening with \ Parker. She called for the Harris County District Attorney to act on what has become a growing scandal.
On Wednesday, Metro held its first news conference on the subject when Greenblatt called the agency asking about Kelly’s allegations of possible corruption, and that Metro employees had destroyed documents that should have been provided to Kelly as part of his request.
“What we know is there was shredding going on,” admitted Metro CEO Frank Wilson on Wednesday, but he said that it remained to be seen if those documents were part of what Kelly wanted.
And on Thursday Chairman of the Board Wolff backed Wilson: “I have no intention of reexamining his contract at this time.”
But Attorney Rusty Hardin thinks Wolff may regret those words.
“I would predict that Mr. Wolff's ringing endorsement of Mr. Wilson six months from now will not be the same,” said Hardin.
Hardin was just hired by Metro’s former Chief Attorney Pauline Higgins. Higgins was fired just days before the scandal broke and Hardin implied it had something to do with opposing the alleged document destruction.
“I will tell you that there is no question that Pauline is a woman of unquestionable integrity and it can't be because she was doing anything wrong” he said. “I think it was because she didn't agree with some policies.”
Late Thursday afternoon, Kelly claimed that Higgins knows a great deal about the controversy.
"Now that's going to come out,” Kelly said. “That's pretty clear, they ordered the general counsel to destroy almost 18 boxes of materials. Now why does Frank Wilson- that came an order from Frank Wilson, why does he think he can do that?"
On Thursday night Kelley elaborated on the motive for his open records request from Metro.
“I think we have a massive amount of corruption,” he said. “In this case, I don't think it's a little bit of cancer.”
While investigators wait to hear what Metro's former chief attorney knows, Parker hinted Wednesday that Metro may have more to worry about, than just shredding.
“I understand there are more allegations than that. There may be suits, and countersuits and a whistleblower lawsuit,” Parker said.
