HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Harris County Decide Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday responded to the indictments of three of her senior employees members charged with misusing official info and tampering with authorities data.

Investigators imagine Alex Triantaphyllis, Wallis Nader, and Aaron Dunn gave insider info to a enterprise in search of an $11 million contract with the county. They’re additionally accused of conspiring to dam one other firm from getting that contract. Attorneys for the three keep their purchasers’ innocence.

Decide Hidalgo took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to make her emotions recognized. In a prolonged assertion she mentioned, it’s “at greatest, a severe misunderstanding of the details … I can’t cave to bullying or political soiled methods.” 

‘I can’t cave to bullying or political soiled methods’: County Decide Lina Hidalgo defends three indicted staffers

The choose’s marketing campaign spokesperson, Toni Harrison, mentioned Hidalgo was not out there for an interview. So, she did the interview on her behalf.   

“Why are you talking on the choose’s behalf at this time,” KHOU 11 investigative reporter Cheryl Mercedes requested.

“She’s conducting county enterprise, and with all the indictments and all the misguided info, it made sense to have somebody characterize the details, and that is what I’m right here to do,” Harrison mentioned.

Harrison talked to us concerning the search warrants final month during which investigators sought proof, together with Google doc recordsdata, textual content messages and emails. The proof included an obvious draft of the request for a vaccine outreach proposal final January with a observe from a senior staffer to a vendor saying “tell us your ideas and proposed funds after you’ve got had an opportunity to assessment” and that they have been “pleased to debate additional if that will be useful.”

3 senior staffers of Decide Lina Hidalgo’s workplace indicted in Harris County vaccine contract investigation

“These textual content messages weren’t throughout the context of an RFP, and I believe it is vital to know that these conversations, you see, there was a chance internally for an inner contractor throughout the information analytics realm. That is what one of many conversations was about it was not about an RFP,” Harrison mentioned.

Harrison mentioned she and Decide Hidalgo imagine that can come to gentle in court docket.

As for when the choose can be keen to debate the indictments in an interview, Harrison mentioned she couldn’t make certain.

“I do anticipate that can occur. I can not provide you with a timeline,” Harrison mentioned.

Decide Hidalgo has mentioned from the start that she believes her staffers are harmless. She echoed that within the assertion she Tweeted on Tuesday afternoon, saying, “They are going to stay on my workforce.”