Texas judge who played victim card kicked out of rodeo for second time in VIP concert seating scandal
The judge who oversees the administration of Texas’ largest county was escorted out of a popular rodeo venue Thursday for a second time after holding a news conference that was sparked by her removal from a concert earlier this week after attempting to access a VIP seating area without tickets. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo held a brief news conference outside NRG Stadium, where she attempted to secure security camera footage of the incident, before she was once again escorted out of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo grounds, as she was Tuesday night, the Houston Chronicle reported. The judge was escorted to her vehicle by a police detail Thursday after a rodeo spokesperson said she didn’t have access to the rodeo grounds and was only permitted to briefly address reporters, the newspaper reported. Thursday’s removal came after Hidalgo was escorted from the venue while attending a Megan Moroney concert while trying to access a premium seating area, despite not having tickets. Hidalgo has since had her “ex-officio director” status removed by the Rodeo Houston executive committee, meaning she will have to pay to access rodeo grounds like everyone else, a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The move came after Hidalgo posted video and audio clips and a letter to rodeo leaders about what unfolded Tuesday night.She said she was manhandled and threatened with arrest after trying to access the concert’s chute area. Staffers told her she and her guests could not access the area because wristbands were sold out and that they would have to return to their suite.
Hidalgo was then asked to leave and escorted out of the venue after being asked several times to return to her seating area, rodeo officials said. Rodeo officials deny Hidalgo’s mistreatment claims.In a one-page letter to board officials, Hidalgo suggested that her treatment stemmed from her being a Hispanic woman.She claimed that white men have “felt emboldened to treat others, parti...