Yesterday, new House Speaker Joe Straus kept Terri Hodge on the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee -- even though the Dallas Democrat has been indicted on 14 felony charges -- all related to public corruption. The state representative was caught red-handed by CBS 11 TV accepting rent breaks from a developer.

But if Hodge's appointment seems confusing ... Speaker Straus' folks say, don't fit Hodge for pinstripes just yet.

“It was her choice to be on that committee," says Angela Hale, the director of communications for the Republican speaker, in a phone interview with Texas Watchdog. "His goal was to be fair and give people the appointments they desired, and in a democracy you are innocent until proven guilty.”

Hale is right in principal, of course, but given the feds' near-perfect conviction rate and the spectacle this appointment is likely to cause, why not put her someplace where she won't be a distraction?

In other news, Straus has appointed former Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, to a special committee on open government.

We kid, but what would be the difference?

More: Dallas Morning News' story on the speaker's Dallas-friendly appointments.