There are cases when voter fraud allegations and convictions are perceived as purely political. The Monitor reports on a voter fraud investigation in Hidalgo County in South Texas in 2005 and that it has fallen apart over the years. The case was heralded as something big when it broke that year.

The Monitor story says that both Hidalgo County District Attorney Rene Guerra and the state Attorney General’s office have “both have since attempted to distance themselves from it.”

Now, Guerra is saying he was handed a weak case:

“The problem with all the McAllen voter fraud cases, said Guerra during a recent interview, was that the investigations were weak, pushed on his office by the Texas Rangers and the attorney general and nearly impossible to prove at trial.”

Guerra continues, “I don’t care what party you’re from, you’re going to have people out hustling votes,” he said. “In some places, they’ll call them politiqueras. In others, they’ll call it paid campaign staff.”

A spokesman for the AG's office fired back, saying Guerra was the one who decided he no longer wanted the AG’s office involved:

"Only Rene Guerra knows … why he dropped indictments that were duly issued by a Hidalgo County grand jury,” [spokesman Jerry Strickland] said in an e-mail interview. “At one time, Guerra trumpeted the indictments and expressed concern about the integrity of Hidalgo County elections. Why he changed his mind, declined to consult with the Texas Rangers or this office, and unilaterally dropped the charges, should be directed to Guerra.”

Such is the temperature of such cases in South Texas.

Contact Steve Miller at 832-303-9420 or stevemiller@texaswatchdog.org.