TEXAS, USA — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Texas Tribune. Read the original article here.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller was subpoenaed to testify in the criminal trial of one of his former political consultants later this month.
Todd Smith, a top aide for Miller, was indicted in 2022 on felony charges of theft and commercial bribery related to taking money in exchange for state hemp licenses that are issued by Miller’s office.
Smith was arrested in mid-2021, accused by law enforcement of taking $55,000 as part of the scheme, according to an arrest warrant. Smith and others were accused of soliciting up to $150,000 to guarantee an “exclusive” hemp license from the Texas Department of Agriculture. Smith allegedly said $25,000 of that money would be used for a survey that he said was required to get a license in Texas. A hemp license from the state costs $100, according to the arrest warrant.
Miller could not be immediately reached for comment. At the time of the indictment, Miller suggested it was politically motivated and said he didn’t believe Smith did anything wrong.
Miller is ordered to testify in a Travis County District Court on Oct. 21.
He is in his third term as the agriculture commissioner after defeating Democratic challenger Susan Hays with strong support across rural Texas in 2022. The commissioner is a vocal ally of former President Donald Trump and is rumored to be on his short list to head the Agriculture Department if Trump wins in November.
Smith has a history of controversy over his conduct and ties to the Department of Agriculture.
In 2018, the Austin American-Statesman reported that Smith promised a San Antonio businessperson an appointment with the Department of Agriculture in exchange for a $29,000 loan. And in 2016, Miller gave Smith’s wife a newly created assistant commissioner position, one of the highest-paying roles in the department.
At the time, Smith said Miller hired his wife directly because of her experience as a health care consultant to former congressmen Greg Laughlin and Joe Barton.
